A Sweet Romance
by scottishfae
Summary: Kagome enjoyed her life: a good job, great friends, a townhouse of her own, and two hot neighbors next door. Just as Kagome's life begins to take some unexpected turns, she finds herself getting closer to Sesshomaru and they move from just friendly neighbors to something much more.
1. Chapter 1

Kagome sat on her porch, an apple in hand, munching away at it as she watched her cat try, unsuccessfully, to catch a squirrel. The sun was setting over her backyard fence, highlighting the city below in hues of oranges and pinks. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the peace.

Her neighbor's door opened and Kagome automatically looked over. Townhouse living was nice, but afforded the residents little privacy. She smiled at the man who came out; he nodded at her. Sesshomaru was a considerate neighbor, his brother and roommate, not as much, but they all got along well enough.

"Ready for the weekend?" she asked as he walked about readying his grill.

"More so than most weeks," he answered. "Do you have plans for the week's end?"

"Yup," Kagome said stretching languidly in her lounger. "I'm going to be as lazy as I possibly can and enjoy two days of no stress."

"So you aspire to be my brother?"

They both laughed at the other man's expense. As if being summoned, Inuyasha poked his head out at hearing both voices. "Hey Kagome," he greeted, coming fully outside at the sight of the young woman.

"Hey Inuyasha," she threw back.

He was fresh from the shower it seemed. His hair was wet and clung to his back, while he hadn't bothered to throw on anything but a loose pair of gym shorts. As much as she tried not to look at his well-toned form, he was blatantly checking her out. Sesshomaru took the opportunity to push him off the porch.

"What was that for jerk?"

"I need a reason?"

Kagome laughed at the two of them. Buyo, her cat, had given up trying to be a hunter - he was just too fat - and instead made his way back on the porch to sit by the door. He cried loudly to be let in - and possibly for more food. Kagome heard the cries and stood up. She wished them a good evening and slid the door open for the cat.

"You don't want to join us?" Sesshomaru asked, though it was obvious Inuyasha was about to do the same. "We have plenty of food."

"No thanks. I think I'm going to order pizza."

"You could have that tomorrow night though," Inuyasha whined. "Eat with us tonight. We're having steaks."

"Just steaks?"

"No," Sesshomaru answered.

"No hint on what though?"

Sesshomaru smiled at her. He didn't do it often, but when he did, it was beautiful; his whole face softened. "You have to eat with us to find out."

Kagome groaned. The elder of the two brothers was a magnificent cook. She looked in her house where she had already pulled down her takeout menus onto a counter. "Fine," she conceded. "But one of these days you're going to have to let me make this up to you. You're always feeding me."

"Deal."

"Let me go change at least."

"You're fine in what you're in."

Kagome gave him a skeptical look. The first thing she did every day, when returning from work, was strip out of her 'day' clothes and toss on her 'night' outfit. It usually consisted of pajama pants and a t-shirt, though it was hot enough now that gym shorts had substituted the pants. "I'm going to go change," she reassured.

It also consisted of no bra, and she wasn't entirely comfortable going 'free' around the two men. Letting Buyo in, she closed and locked it, before moving to the kitchen. She put away her menus, gave a treat to crying feline, then bolted upstairs to her bedroom.

It was a three bedroom, two and a half bathroom townhouse. A lot more space than Kagome could ever use on a regular basis. One bedroom she kept as a permanent guest accommodations. The door usually remained closed so Buyo couldn't get in there in case she had guests who were allergic. The third bedroom, only designated that by the inclusion of a closet, was an odd room under the staircase. She kept it as a little office and as a more permanent cat-area. Her bedroom, however, was fairly magnificent. It and the accompanying bathroom took up most of the back of the second-story. Large picture windows let in a lot of light, which was beautiful with the setting sun, without too much fear of lost privacy.

Her casual work attire, white slacks and a green button up, were half in the hamper from earlier. Kagome stripped out of her shorts and tee and threw them on her bed for later. Locating another bra, she put that on first before grabbing jeans and blouse out of her closet. They were both fairly casual, not a huge improvement from what she changed from, but knowing the meal she was about to eat, she felt better not looking like a bum doing it.

Turning towards her bed once more, she caught a flash of silver in the backyard. It was gone before she could pinpoint who it was, but she had a sneaking suspicion she had been spied on. Frowning, she turned on her bedside lamp, then moved to close the curtains. She couldn't see anyone on the porches, thanks to the overhead coverings, but she could hear Sesshomaru's deep rumble as he talked to someone. Pulling the curtains, closed she retraced her steps, but going out the front instead of the back.

Their door was already open for her when she arrived. She followed the familiar layout towards where the most mouth-watering smells were coming from. Inuyasha was fully clothed now, though his hair still wet, and standing in front of the TV. He was a channel surfer on the best days, and it seemed this wasn't one of those.

"Nothing on?" she asked as she passed him by.

Inuyasha shook his head. He didn't meet her eyes as she passed, but Kagome got the distinct impression that he was watching as soon as she turned to leave. She shook her head and went to greet and thank Sesshomaru again. He was just finishing up outside.

"I'm glad you could join us."

"Was Inuyasha trying to spy on me a second ago?"

The elder brother gave a tight smile and walked around Kagome into the kitchen. He stopped to wrap some tinfoil over the plate of meat. "I take it that was a yes. Thanks for stopping him."

"I can do very little when it comes to him," Sesshomaru pointed out.

He went for the fridge and offered her a beer. She gladly took it, twisting off the top and taking a swig. Sesshomaru took out one for himself, and another one that he set on the counter. Inuyasha came in a few moments later and picked it up.

"How much longer? I'm starting to get really hungry."

"You're always hungry. But it shouldn't be more than 10 minutes. Please set the table, since we have a guest."

Inuyasha looked at him skeptically, snorted, then made for the plates. He made a production of grabbing everything as loudly as he could. Sesshomaru winced each time the ceramic plates clacked against each other.

"Where do you two normally eat?" Kagome asked, watching as Inuyasha continued his loud version of table setting.

The younger brother smirked at her from time to time, causing her to shake her head and laugh.

"We usually eat separately; wherever that might be. Inuyasha usually in front of the TV though."

"You at the counter?" Kagome guessed.

"I don't look like a lone table eater?"

"Nope, nor an in-bed-eater. So, had to be in the kitchen."

"You'll wish we were eating there by the end," Inuyasha supplied. "The barstools are a lot more comfortable than these posh bitches."

He poked at one of them, glaring at it as if it's very existence threatened his own. Again she laughed at the other's antics. "Don't encourage him," Sesshomaru whispered, leaning down as he passed with two platters in hand.

"What else needs to go on the table?"

"You," Sesshomaru replied, before stopping himself and looking wide-eyed at Kagome.

He looked sheepish, pink tingeing his cheeks. Taking a deep breath, he corrected himself over Inuyasha's laughter. "I'm sorry, I mean you need to be at the table. I'll do the remainder. Even the asshole can sit down, if he'd like."

Sesshomaru shot a glare at Inuyasha as he put down the food he was holding. He walked back into the kitchen stiffly and got the rest of the food as the other two sat down. Glasses of water and a pitcher for refills were the last things added to the, now, crowded table. Kagome watched as Inuyasha watched his brother sit before reaching for the food. He offered Kagome everything first, though she insisted she could help herself last, before offering Sesshomaru next.

This was one aspect of eating at their house that was odd. At times the brothers seemed to fall into muscle memory and act on instinct regardless of how they might have been treating each other moments before. Kagome couldn't help but wonder if this was one of the things from their childhood that they just couldn't shake.

Dinner was eaten in silence. The brothers concentrated on devouring their meal, Sesshomaru slightly more sedated and clean about his progress, and ignoring all else. Trying to be a proper host, Sesshomaru would occasional stop and ask Kagome a question or two.

"There's a three day weekend coming up," Sesshomaru noted. "Are you going to try to go see your family?"

Kagome shook her head, her mouth full. Once cleared, she responded: "No, my mom and grandpa are going to go visit Sota and that's too far of a trip for just a few days. I'll go see them some other time and take vacation for it."

Sesshomaru nodded at this, turning back to his food.

"What about you two? Any plans?"

The brothers paused, regarded each other, and shook their heads. "Not at the moment, though I'm sure we'll have some."

"Hell no, I won't," Inuyasha protested. "You can go play perfect son all you want, but they know I'm not and don't care to be. I'll take my days off as actual days off."

Kagome looked between the two, confused, and slightly upset that she had caused them to fight. She apologized, but both men shook their heads. "Not your fault," Inuyasha mumbled, stabbing at his food and stuffing his mouth.

Sesshomaru kept his eyes on his brother, mouth downturned. There was a clear expression on his face that the last of that conversation was definitely not over. Kagome sighed and looked down at her plate. The meal was just as delicious, but the mood had definitely soured. After more awkward silence, Sesshomaru eventually let out a deep sigh before issuing an apology. "I'm sorry, Kagome. We didn't mean to drag you into our family issues."

Inuyasha echoed the sentiment. "Can I make it up to you?" he added. "Sesshomaru did all the cooking for dinner. Let me take you for ice cream?"

Sesshomaru's lips pursed a bit but he didn't say anything. He finished up his meal and offered to take Kagome's plate, if she was done. "Yes, I am. Thank you so much, it was really delicious."

"Better than a night of pizza?"

"Definitely. Though, it seems sacreligious to hate on a good pizza and movie night."

Sesshomaru laughed and Inuyasha joined in. Though he seemed to also be waiting for her answer to his suggestion of desserts. "Ice cream?" he said again, a boyish look on his face that made Kagome laugh. "We can go grab some for the three of us and then maybe a movie night when we get back?"

Kagome screwed up her face in thought. "With one caveat?"

"Name it."

"Movies at my place."

They both looked at her. She came over often to their place, anytime they managed to hound her enough to convince her to join them for dinner. But the times she'd invited them into her own home was few and far between."

"That's fine," Sesshomaru said from the kitchen. "But I promise we do have movies we can watch here too."

"Perhaps. But my collection is supreme. Plus, I enjoy bad movies more than any others. Tonight was going to be Indiana Jones Crystal Skulls - so bad, but famous actors and fantastic director bad. Plus, I have snacks already stocked up for those mid-movie munchies."

Her grin was bright and filled with mirth and the others joined in with her laughter.

"Your place it is," Inuyasha said. "Give me a second and let me grab my shoes and keys and we can head out."

"Please don't kill her while you're out. Drive like you have a brain for once."

Inuyasha flicked him off as he left the room. Sesshomaru's eyes followed him until he was out of the room then immediately snapped back to Kagome. "What's the real reason?"

"That was the real reason…mostly."

Sesshomaru's brow raised in question, waiting for her to continue. Kagome stood with a sigh. She lowered a voice. "Kouga has a tendency to show up at your house, in case you haven't noticed."

"I always notice. He usually brings several of his 'bros' and it drives me crazy."

"Yeah, I know. They're nice and all, but I don't really feel like rebuffing his flirting tonight. I just want to relax and enjoy some movies - with some good people that were kind enough to feed me."

"Who knew you were so easy to please," he commented with a wink.

"Okay, ready to go Kagome?" Inuyasha said, coming back into the room.

"Yup. What flavor do you want, Sesshomaru?"

"Are you two going to the grocery store or the ice cream stand down the way?"

"Ice cream stand," Inuyasha answered.

"Just french vanilla then. In a cup, if you will."

"Aw, no cone? Don't like to get a little dirty while you eat?" Kagome teased.

"I'll leave that to you."

Kagome laughed and turned from him. "I need to get my wallet," she told Inuyasha as they headed to the door.

"Nope, my treat. You're giving me an excuse to enjoy something sweet and I'm so grateful for that."

"That's not really fair. I already mooched your dinner for free. I should at least pay for ice cream."

"Nah. I'll just mooch some of those snacks you mentioned during the movie and we'll be kosher."

Kagome laughed as they walked out of the townhouse and towards his red, sporty hatchback.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome rolled off the couch and went to the kitchen, the movie still playing in the background though her eyes were blurry now. A simple bad movie night which was supposed to be just one movie had rolled into another after a discussion of Crystal Skulls in film led them into watching the Phantom, and that into more Billy Zane movies.

Inuyasha had, at some point, fallen asleep spread out on part of the couch. Sesshomaru was barely holding it together from the other side of the couch on the chaise part of the sectional. Kagome filled up her hydroflask bottle up with water again, the ice still frozen inside. She screwed on the top again, taking a swig of the cold water and enjoying the refreshing quality of the water. Going back, she noticed Sesshomaru was watching her. "You want anything?" she asked in a whisper.

He shook his head, his eyes seeming heavy. "You and Inuyasha are lightweights on the these late night movie binges," she teased.

She walked around the chaise to Sesshomaru's other side and sat down next to him. He shifted a little to accommodate her.

"At least my father's insistence of sitting with him during his conference calls came in handy. I'm glad you and Inuyasha find such amusement in bad movies, but they're so boring. The plots are so painful and predictable, the acting horrible, and just…I have no more words to describe them. At least binge watch good movies."

"I think picking them apart is part of the fun. Low budget horror films are the best, but I don't like watching those at night, even when they're bad," she admitted. "If you forgive me for making you suffer, I'll let you choose the movie next time?"

"You're already forgiven," He said, sitting back a little with a yawn. "Though, I should probably wake the idiot and take him home before I fall asleep too."

She looked over at Inuyasha who was now drooling on her decorative unicorn pillow. She repressed a giggle as he twitched a couple of times. "You two are welcome to crash here. I know it's just next door, but even that bit of a walk when you're exhausted can suck."

"Thanks, but I have no desire to sleep on a couch, no matter how comfortable, when a bed is waiting for me."

"Then take one of the ones upstairs. I have one that is Buyo-hair free even."

"And if I asked to share yours?" Sesshomaru said, his eyes going wide after he said that and immediately apologized.

Kagome blushed too, looking down at where she had tucked her feet up and under the cushion of the couch. "Did you know that lack of sleep can affect the brain in the same way alcohol can?"

She looked up to see him still in shock and cheeks pinked. "M-maybe," she took in a deep breath. "Maybe ask that question of me sometime when we aren't punch drunk, okay?"

Sesshomaru's breathing seemed to speed up a little and he nodded. "Until then, you sure you don't want to grab one of the guest rooms?"

"No, but thanks.. Let me wake up Inuyasha and we'll get out of your hair."

He slowly got up, his tall frame slowly straightening as he worked out the kinks, then walked over to Inuyasha and slapped him on the face. Inuyasha woke up with a start, jumping up, losing balance, then immediately falling to the floor. "What the fuck?!"

"Wake up idiot. Time to go home."

"Home?"

"Yeah, as in not turning Kagome's property into a lake with your drool."

Inuyasha looked around, his brain finally catching up with his eyes and noticing Kagome there, looking timid on the couch as she took him in. Inuyasha blushed bright red and apologized for falling asleep. She waved him off and looked back to the TV. Sesshomaru reached down and pulled him up. "Let's go."

They said their goodbyes and walked to the door, Kagome following. She said goodbye to them both again and then closed the door after them and locked the door. She waited a few moments before turning back around and going to the living room again. She grabbed her phone from the coffee table, then turned off the TV after pausing the movie, and started closing up the first floor rooms. Double checking everything was locked up, she began climbing the stairs. She received a text as soon as she reached her room. It was from Sesshomaru.

 **You said you had no plans for the long weekend, right?**

 _Nope - No plans._

 **I have a way you can make it up to me for a boring movie night.**

 _I'm afraid to ask._

 **I have to attend a dinner at my father's club that Saturday night. Would you come with me? I can guarantee it won't be as boring as those movies if you're with me.**

 _Is this the thing Inyasha doesn't want to attend?_

 **One of many, but I wouldn't want to subject you to all that. Just a complimentary, very expensive meal with a bunch of people who just like to kiss ass.**

 _Kiss ass? Are you sure this isn't Inuyasha? That's a very uncharacteristic thing for you to say._

 **Sometimes Inuyasha's uncouth language is the best to describe things.**

 _Well, I'd love to con you into a bad horror movie marathon eventually, so I think I can cave to a boring dinner. After all, you know my free food weakness and are obviously fully trying to use it against me._

 **You caught me. I'll text you the details tomorrow morning. It's formal dress.**

 _Ugh- formal dress? Like evening gown or just nice dress?_

 **Well, probably somewhere in between. I'll be wearing a suit, not a tux, but I admit I don't know enough about women's fashion to differentiate between the different styles. The club has pictures from last year's event posted on their website. I can send you some of those if that helps.**

 _That would be perfect. I'm going to go to bed now though. TTYL._

 **Good night. Thank you again.**

Kagome put her phone on her charger then walked into her bathroom. She proceeded to wash her face, brush her teeth, then finish off her nightly routine. After that, she gratefully stripped down into her comfy house clothes before climbing under the covers. She sighed at the cold touch of her sheets with a happy smile. Buyo jumped up as she reached over and turned off the bedside lamp then laid back down. "Good night, Buyo," she said as he came up to claim the pillow she always left for him to enjoy.


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome looked through the store casually sifting through the evening dresses. It was a department store, post-prom, so a lot were on sale. They were also a pretty gaudy; great for young girls but definitely not appropriate for this club social. Sesshomaru had sent her the link to last year's event, just as he said he would, and she was blown away by the elegance. She wasn't sure she was going to be able to find anything in her budget, which was why she had called in the reinforcements. Sango had promised to meet her after work for some serious shopping. In Sango terms, that meant no idle socializing while slowly going through the shopping was on a budget, with a purpose, and very little nonsense in between.

"So why exactly are you prom shopping?" Sango asked, coming up behind her in the suit she wore to work and a frazzled expression on her face.

"Not prom. Formal dress. You remember my neighbors?"

"The super sexy Takashi brothers? Most definitely."

"Sango, you're engaged," Kagome admonished with a laugh.

"Doesn't keep me from looking or stating the truth. So you need a formal dress for something with them."

"Sesshomaru managed to attack my one true weakness and got me agree to attend a dinner at a country club and it's a formal event. I don't own a formal gown."

"Your one true weakness is udon, and I doubt you've exposed him to that yet. But the point is made, let's fine you something."

Kagome pulled out her phone and showed her some of the pictures she had saved from the website for reference. The mall didn't always have the best reception so she came prepared. "Kagome, most of these are designer dresses, probably personally fitted to these women."

Kagome's stomach began to flutter. Maybe she had made a mistake. Sesshomaru had given her an option of backing out, considering they were both exhausted when he asked, but she promised him it was okay as long as he wanted her there. But she couldn't afford anything designer and now she was legitimately worried if she was going to be an embarrassment to him.

"Maybe I should cancel after all," she whispered.

Sango whipped around, already holding two dresses up for Kagome to try on. "Super hot neighbor - the _mature_ super hot neighbor - wants to take you to a high society function and you're going to back out? I think not. I came here after work, despite being exhausted, to help you find a dress and we'll do that if I have to make you try on every dress in this mall."

She handed over the dresses for Kagome to hold, pushed her purse further up her arm, then commanded Kagome to follow her as they began going through the racks again, this time more in earnest. More dresses were added to her queue until she finally had to give up carrying them by the hanger and instead draped them over both arms. After they had combed the entire department, Sango flagged down an employee to open a dressing room.

"Start with the black, silver, and purple ones because those are the most appropriate," Sango said, shoving her into the back, handicap dressing room.

She pulled a chair from the little sitting area at the front of the changing room near the tri-fold mirror right outside Kagome's room. "Really? Purple is the most appropriate?" Kagome asked as she and the employee hung up the dresses in her arm.

"Well, that's more just because I just like you in purple. It goes well with your complexion and gives your eyes this cool silver tone."

The employee gave Kagome a sympathetic look before backing out of the room. "If you ladies need anything else, let me know."

Sango thanked her, her no-nonsense persona stopping for a moment to make sure the woman knew she really did appreciate her help. Because that was the kind of person Sango was. Kagome closed the door and began to strip out of her own work clothes. Her purse she hung up on the wall but not before taking her phone out. She had a missed called from her mom and several texts from her neighbors - Sesshomaru and Inuyasha both - and another from a coworker. She texted her mom to ask if everything was okay, then made a few quick replies to the others. She added to Sesshomaru's reply that she was dress shopping.

 **Where at?**

 _B Department store at the East Mall. Sango is here will me. I'm useless without her._

 **I'm not far from there. Mind if I join or are you almost done?**

 _Not at all. We're currently in the lady's dressing room though._

Sesshomaru sent a wink emoji, not something she would attribute to him, but didn't reply any further. Sango had noticed her stalling. "I don't see any clothes hitting that ugly carpet. Come on Kagome, some of us have a ridiculous inept fiance to get home to."

Kagome threw her phone down on the fabric bench then began stripping down to just her underwear. Since most of evening wear seemed to require strapless bras, she had made sure to wear one that morning - though she hated herself for it after all the discomfort and the sly pulling her bra back up her body she had to deal with during the day. Choosing a tight, black trumpet fitted dress with a rhinestone studded halter strap that extended down below the low cut bust line, she slipped it on and did her best to zip it up. She got it most of the way, leaving just the top most undone.

"Okay, number one," Kagome announced, opening the door she stepped out, dragging the dress a little on her diminutive height, and gasping in shock as she saw Sesshomaru sitting next to Sango. He had a to-go cup of Starbucks in his hand, Sango holding another, a third in a cardboard carrier at his feet. He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"I'm not going to ask why they let you in here."

"I have to leave if any other customers come in," he explained. "Though if you can convince the associates you're gay then they don't care either way."

Kagome laughed a little and turned towards the mirror. "I'm going to have to wear tall heels regardless," she assessed. "No one expects people going anywhere with long dresses to be short. Must be a model thing."

Sango stood up and came behind her. She gave her a critical eye, made her twirl, then shook her head. "Definitely makes your boobs look great, but I think we can do better. Next!"

Kagome laughed a little, her cheeks dusted pink as she saw Sesshomaru staring at her with a little smirk on his face. She said nothing more but returned to the dressing room, catching Sango's under the breath comment of "you're not going to convince anyone that you're gay when looking at Kagome like that" she made to Sesshomaru as she took her seat.

Kaogme made quicker work of changing this time. One, she didn't have to return any text messages - her mom hadn't responded yet (no surprise there) and Inuyasha's response seemed like he was just talking to her out of boredom. Second, she had another person waiting on her and this person brought coffee that she didn't want to cool before she got done. She hung the dress back up on the hanger and then placed in on one of the hooks she had designated as the no's. Next to was the maybe hook and then across the way, next to her purse, would be the yes. She grabbed a purple one this time. It was strapless, again fitted through the corset, but then blossomed out at the hips into layers of thin fabric. Some of the layers had shimmer and stones in it that sparkled a bit as she moved in the light. She stepped out of the dressing room in this dress and walked straight to the mirrors.

"Told you purple was your colour," Sango replied, coming up and making Kagome do the flit and flitter thing again. She pulled at a few places, then had Kagome look forward into the mirror before standing to her side, gathering her hair up and holding it behind her. "Definitely an updo for this type of an event, and I think this dress would look beautiful on you."

Sango looked back at Sesshomaru, who had sat back in the chair and was just staring at her slowly rakeing his eyes over Kagome's body. "What do your males eyes say, Sesshomaru?"

"That it's beautiful. Though that may be more attributed to Kagome than the dress. I'll take care of jewelry. We have a ton of family stuff that never gets worn becasue well - I just don't think Inuyasha or I could pull off diamonds, if we're being honest - that you can borrow for the night."

"Oh, perfect," Sango said. "And I'll call in a favor to get your hair and makeup done."

They all fell silent and let Kagome stew a little on the dress a little. It was beautiful. Breaking the silence, Sango shooed her back into the dressing room again. "We have lots more to try on," Sango insisted to Kagome's groan.

Kagome went through the long pile of dresses, the sales lady coming in a few times to take away the nos as they went, until there were only a few left. Each time they went through the same routine. Kagome came out in a new dress and stood in front of the mirrors. Sango would pull up her hair, make comments if she liked or hated it and what they could do with the liked dresses in the form of hair, makeup, and accessories. Sesshomaru would speak up occasionally, but mostly just kept quiet. His only real contribution was when she came out in a demure looking black dress with long, sheer sleeves, and a high neckline. It was all mock modesty, as Kagome's face made obvious as she turned red walking out in front of the mirrors. When in the light, it became obvious the flowing dress was all sheer and the only thing covering Kagome was the black boy shorts and bando style bra that had been attached to the dress. Sesshomaru had sat up and leaned forward at that one, his breathing speeding up a bit. "Um, that's magnificent on you," he said in a breathy voice Kagome mistook as holding back laughter. "But I think it's not quite appropriate for this function. They tend to be a little bit more on the conservative side of things."

Kagome nodded fiercely and ran back into the dressing room, almost tripping. She missed the look Sango and Sesshomaru shared between them. Kagome stripped from that one quickly, immediately put it in the no hook, then sifted through the remaining dresses. There was one in a shimmering winter white that had been the last one they had added before going into the room. It was just an offhand grab that Kagome had noticed but they hadn't looked too much into it as they were shuffled inside to an opened room. She pulled it off the hanger. The actual fabric was stiffer than she expected for the shimmer that reflected from fabric and almost felt like scales (though thankfully in no way was actual reptile skin). It was in a trumpet style too. The straps and bindings were done in a shade darker of white that didn't have any of the shimmer. It wrapped across the edge of her shoulders than sank down to a plunging back and trimmed out the loop. In the front, the same loop was repeated, this time in a ruching manner that gave a modest cleavage unless you were looking straight down, or if she bent over. It was form fitted, not that there was much give, in that heavy fabric until it hit her knees. The actual trumpeting part at the bottom where it flared out at her knees was made of silkier material of the same colour and shimmer but slightly shinier. It allowed the dress to flow more too. Kagome walked out in this dress, directly to the mirror and tuned everything out. Sango, she heard, approached her to make a few comments, holding up her hair as she did so, but it was all just a passing interest to Kagome as she stared at herself.

"This is the one," she eventually said.

"Totally agree," Sango said. She had stepped back and let Kagome enter her own world. "Shoes are going to be fun to find though."

The employee came in and Sango approached her for advice on shoes for that dress. Sesshomaru took that moment to stand, putting his coffee back into the carrier, and approaching Kagome. He was oft to wear white, though perhaps not this shade. "You look stunning," he said to her quietly. "I mean, just beautiful."

He was breathless and his eyes unrelenting as he gazed at her. He reached out and moved some of her hair from her face to hook behind her ear. "I'll be the envy of everyone there."

Kagome's face screwed up in disbelief and shook her head. "It really is quite a stunning dress."

"Only because you're in it," he added.

He took a step forward so there was little room between the two of them, he towering over her. "Oh," he said with a bit of a chuckle. "There are parts of this dress I like even more now."

She rolled her eyes and pushed back at him until he took a few steps back. "When you get comfortable around someone, you have a similar sense of humour to Inuyasha's, you know that?"

"It's our dad's sense of humour, I'm afraid. Inherited. Though he and I at least know how to apply it tactfully."

"Perhaps," she said with a wink. "I'm going to change."

"Oh, not yet," Sango called. "The associate is going to grab a few shoes she thinks will go well with it. We can try them on now with the dress."

Kagome let out a deep sigh and looked accusingly to Sesshomaru. "You owe me big time for this one," she said. "She may not seem it from the day to day, but Sango looooves this girly dress up shit. I'm effectively her Barbie doll until this is over."

"I apologize, though I'm not sorry. But I do agree," he added at her frown. "I owe you big time. I suppose you can start thinking up how I can make it up to you between now and then."

"You better believe I am."

Sesshomaru chuckled, his voice deep and his face downturned. Kagome frowned at him and brought a hand up to bring the fabric at her bust flush against her chest. "I'll choose another dress if you can't stop looking down this one."


	4. Chapter 4

The long weekend ended up being a girl's weekend, for the first part at least. Sango had spread the news of Kagome's formal dinner date to their other girlfriends and they had all agreed to flood Kagome's house Friday night after everyone got off work. Takeout was ordered, movies were brought, and the girls settled in for a good night. They slept in the morning after, then enjoyed some at home pampering before they all began to help Kagome get ready for her night out.

Yuna moonlighted as a makeup artists for weddings and proms so she had professional quality product and skills. They put Kagome in her dress first then threw a robe over her to keep anything from staining the dress. Already having a natural wave in her hair, Yuna straightened it out before pinning it up in a low knot at Kagome's nape - as per Sango's instructions. Yuna chose to not go heavy on the makeup, just coverage and contouring with a bit of colour on her eyes (a bit of a light cat eye because that was Yuna's favorite signature when she did make up), but there was a fight over her lipstick. Yuna wanted a bright red, while Sango felt that it was too much compared to how low key everything else was.

Kagome just sat in one of the chairs in her bedroom. She was pulling on her shoes when she heard the doorbell ring. Emi yelled from the first floor that she'd get it. Kagome heard the door open and close, then two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs. "Sesshomaru is here," Emi said, leaning into the room.

She finished putting on her last shoe and sat back up, and tucking the two thin strands of her hair left out of the coifeture behind her ear. Sesshomaru stepped around Emi to come inside and the two took in each other. "I love the addition of the pink, fuzzy bathrobe. That surely makes the outfit."

"Smart ass," Sango huffed. "Pick a colour," she added, picking up the two colours they had narrowed it down to and holding it up to him.

He grimaced a little at the ruby red and pale lavender options and walked to look at the other options, a metal box tucked under his arm as he did so. Kagome took the opportunity to look him over as he shifted through the disorganized makeup trays. Other than their personalities, one of the main differences in InuYasha and Sesshomaru was their builds. Whereas Inuyasha was stocky and muscular, Sesshomaru was tall and lithe. He had more elven, graceful features that were just a touch feminine. Inuyasha tended to wear things either overly baggy or overly tight, depending on what he was trying to accomplish, but Sesshomaru seemed to buy things that were specifically tailored for him. It was no different with his deep navy suit. Like her dress, there was a bit of a shimmer to the fabric, except for the lapels which were a shade darker. His tie matched the lapels and to change his attire completely, he also chose to wear his hair up in a bun. She'd only seen him wear his hair up once or twice before.

"This one, I think," he said, pulling out one of the lip shades and handing it to Sango.

She raised a brow but just shrugged before handing it to Yuna. She seemed to approve and immediately got her lip brushes and approached Kagome. It was a deep plum in a matte finish and Yuna applied it quickly. She stood back, pursing her lips to the side as she stared at her work, before nodding with approval. "All done, she's all yours now," she said to Sesshomaru.

"Good timing. I have some things for you to borrow - compliments of the Takashi estate."

He put down the box and pressed a code into the little keypad on the top. It clicked open with a beep and he pulled out earrings. They were a string of four diamonds that ended in a big saltwater pearl. He handed them for her to put them on, all the girls eyeing them with envy. "I don't even like jewelry and those are pretty," Emi said, coming into the room now.

A four string pearl cuff bracelet was pulled out next and he handed that over for her to put on too. She tried it on both arms before Sesshomaru suggested putting it on her right. "I'll be on your left for most of the night, so putting your jewelry mostly on your right leaves it open for other people to see."

He suggested she stand up and derobe, laughing with them at his poor choice of words. Kagome tried to hide her embarrassment, standing up, and taking off the robe. Sango took it from her, throwing it on her bed. The necklace he looped around her neck. She watched sidelong in the mirror as he latched on a simple diamond necklace that fit at the base of her neck like a 1950s pearl necklace. "I went for understated given everything else," he said, as he clasped the necklace and punctuated his sentence by letting his fingers trail a few inches down her exposed back.

"If this is understated in your family, I'd hate to see what overstated is," Yuna said.

He smiled at her. Kagome stepped away and went to the full length mirror next to her walk-in closet. She didn't recognize herself. "Okay ladies," he said from behind her. "I'm afraid I need to take Kagome with me. It's a bit of a drive and fashionably late and actually late is a very fine line to cross."

Kagome turned and walked back across the room. "I put your clutch on the table by the door," Sango said. "And I'll lock up after we've cleaned up."

"Thank you."

"We expect full updates next week," the other girls shouted as Sesshomaru helped her down the stairs.

She grabbed her clutch, checked it one last time to make sure her phone and keys were in it, and they left. The stoop was only a few steps up, but she took it slowly, giving him a chagrined look as she did so. "I told you and Sango these high of heels was a bad idea for a natural clutz."

"Just lean on me then, I'll help steady you."

He had to do just that as they crossed the lawn slowly to his sleek Mercedes. He helped her into the passenger seat before moving to get into the driver's side. He put the car in neutral first, letting it roll back the driveway a bit before starting the car and shifting into reverse. Kagome looked at him oddly, but realized what he was doing when his front door opened up and Inuyasha and Kouga rushed out. Sesshomaru smiled to himself as they pulled down the street and out of the way before either men could get to the bottom of the driveway. Kagome just laughed at him and shifted in the seat to get more comfortable against the cold leather. "Feel free to turn on the seat warmer if you need to," Sesshomaru said, pointing to the little buttons in the middle dash. He shifted into another gear as they sped up towards the freeway.

She was beginning to regret coming as they pulled into the fancy country club. Sesshomaru pulled them up to the curved driveway and turned the car off in front of the valet station. He stepped out, straightening his suit before stepping away as a valet came forward to take his keys and greet him. Another valet came forward an opened Kagome's door, helping her out with white-gloved hands. He shut it behind her as she stepped up on the curb. Sesshomaru came around and held out his right arm for her, which she took, tucking her clutch to her right side. There were other people getting out of their cars, or standing out talking to other people who had just arrived, and they stared at Sesshomaru and Kagome and their striking differences. He led her forward into the building, where footmen opened the doors for them with a jaunty greeting. "They know you by name?" Kagome asked, looking behind them.

"Legacy of my father more than me personally. I only come here once or twice a year for my family's benefit. Inuyasha should be here too, but…"

"I don't take him as a formal dinner type of person."

"He's actually not that bad at these. He has charisma and manners when he chooses to use them. He can usually charm the pants off of everyone around him so that if he does trip up with a faux pas they're quick to forgive him."

"So why didn't he come?"

"You'll see why, I'm sure."

The benefit organizers had hired photographers to take pictures throughout the night for literature in the future and the club's website. A short man with a bit of a paunch shoved into a tux that was just a touch too small ran forward with his camera and asked if he could take their picture. His assistant came up from behind him with an additional camera for additional angles. Sesshomaru stood straight on to the camera, just slightly angled towards Kagome. His free hand going into his pant pocket. Kagome nervously shifted so she was standing close to Sesshomaru, his arm letting go of hers and coming to rest on her right hip. She tried to mimic some of the red carpet pictures she frequently saw on TV. She looked up to Sesshomaru just as he looked down. They shared a smile, Kagome's body doing a bit of a lurch while trying to swallow her own laughter. This made Sesshomaru's eyes dance with humour and he dipped his head forward a bit towards her. They didn't hear the photographers snap several dozen shots, only the short man thanking them once he was done. Sesshomaru forced himself to step away, pulling at her waist as they continued further into the building.

All the rentable rooms had been let. The main ballroom was where all the dinner tables were set up. Two long tables at both sides of the door were set up with carefully labeled signs on where to receive their table assignments. The other rooms had bars, dancing, and other entertainments going on. It left the building in a low roar.

Sesshomaru took them up to the table where the T's were supposed to check in. The older woman there, elegantly dressed as the other party goers, looked Sesshomaru over carefully, then moved to do the same with Kagome. "Who is your date Sesshomaru?I haven't seen her around the club before."

"Not a member, I'm afraid."

"Oh," the woman said. "If you're interested in being one feel free to contact me as a sponsor."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dawthon, that's very generous of you."

The lady sitting next to Mrs. Dawthon face soured. "We have plenty women in the club that could have made just as fitting dates, it's a shame you don't attend enough functions to realize that. Though, I guess it helps some to see how their betters live."

Sesshomaru didn't dignify her with a response or even a glance. He took the little place card that gave them their table designation and thanked Mrs. Dawthon. He steered Kagome by using the hand on the small of her back until they were away from the table and back into the noise of the event. "Oh this is going to be fun," Kagome lemented giving him a side eye.

"You just met the two main kinds of people who make their lives around social status and being a member of this club."

They entered the ballroom and an usher standing by the door directed them which way to go. Sesshomaru moved to take Kagome's arm once more and led her through the dining room, stopping at several tables on the way to greet older couples and introduce Kagome. She put on her prettiest smile and greeted them each. They didn't stay too long at one table until they finally reached their own table. Kagome's eyes widened as they approached their table seeing man that was unmistakably Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father. He was just slightly taller than Sesshomaru, but built more like Inuyasha. His hair too was the same colour, worn long, though currently put in a high ponytail at the crown of his head. He wore the traditional black suit and despite being twice her age, Kagome could easily admit he was one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen. His bright smile when he saw Sesshomaru and Kagome approaching just confirmed that thought.

"Sesshomaru," he said. "I'm so glad you made it."

He reached forward and shook his son's hand. A young woman, not much older than Kagome, turned around and looked at the two of them as if they were shit stains on a fine carpet. "And who is this beauty," he asked, trailing his eyes down Kagome's body. Her smile became a little bit more forced and her hand gripped Sesshomaru's arm a little tighter. Yes, he was handsome, but his leer was unguarded and his body language unwelcome. Sesshomaru moved his arm again, letting hers fall to her side, and put it around her waist. "This is mine and Inuyasha's neighbor, Kagome Higurashi. Kagome, this is my father, Toga Takashi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I didn't realize they had such a charming neighbor or else I would have made more of an effort to visit regularly."

"Or at all," Sesshomaru muttered under his breath. If Toga heard him, he didn't make an indication. The woman from earlier cleared her throat loudly and gave Toga a disapproving look. Sesshomaru sighed and offhandedly introduced her. "Kagome, this is my father's current girlfriend Ayako."

"Fiance," she corrected.

Toga snorted at this, he and Sesshomaru's gaze meeting in a silent conversation before Toga moving back to the table. Ayako's face was just contained rage as he directed her towards her seat by pulling out the chair. She sat down roughly, her surgically-enhanced breasts nearly spilling out of her low cut dress. Toga sat next to her, suggesting that Kagome sit next to him. Sesshomaru was already pulling out the chair two away for her, which she thanked him for quietly as she sat down more sedately. Sesshomaru took the other chair next to his father with a nod. A few more people came and joined them, introductions going around.

"So, Kagome," Togo said while they waited for the speeches to begin, which was the precursor for actual dinner. "What do you do?"

"I work in childcare."

"So a babysitter," Ayako chided. "Must be doing something on the side to afford a townhouse on babysitter pay."

Kagome responded to her with a sad smile; she'd seen such reactions before. It was a pity that she had so little confidence in herself. And it kind of made her angry at Sesshomaru's father and his like who obviously fed on those insecurities for their own good. "I'm actually the director of the H Childcare Network throughout the city, though the title is a bit of a misnomer. There are multiple directors and we all have our little regions of 2-3 care centers we are over."

"Impressive. You don't seem old enough to be in that position," Toga said, picking up his water glass and taking a sip. He flagged down a waiter who was handing out wine to the tables.

"My mother worked for the H childcare until she retired recently and I grew up volunteering then later working through the company. I basically was raised to take over my current job; my mom had it before me."

"H Childcare is an impressive program; it's very hard to get into a lot of them. Top notch place," another of the couples at their table said.

"It is. I work with a lot of great people too from the actual care givers to the maintenance and cleaning services. My region hasn't scored below 99 on our health code inspection for two decades and we really pride ourselves for that fact."

"As you should be," Toga said. "Excellence is always something to strive and thus be proud of. Though, I sense you aren't completely happy where you are."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened and he looked over to Kagome who looked a bit bashful at getting caught. "No, I'm happy. But I've also been doing it my whole life and there are things I'm looking into."

"Such as?"

Kagome gave him a shy smile. "Things. Can't have you learning all my secrets the first night I've met you, now can I?"

Toga slapped the table, making many of the occupants jump, and threw his head back in a belly laugh. "I like her, Sesshomaru. No wonder you and Inuyasha fight over her so much."

"Speaking of Inuyasha," Ayako said, trying to gain attention again. "Where is the halfwit?"

"Couldn't make it. He and his soon to be business associate had already made plans to have a meeting tonight to finalize some details."

Ayako snorted, obviously not believing it. Togo nodded a bit. He seemed disappointed but didn't raise any objections. "Excuse me for talking business at the table, but what do you think of this venture they're doing? Gyms seem to be a dime a dozen now. I fear the market is too oversaturated for them to be successful."

Sesshomaru just shrugged. "I only know the bits I've gleaned while he and Kouga have discussed in my presence. Inuyasha and I have never really had deep conversations, as you well know. But, they're being very thoughtful. Right now they want to start with two gyms not far from each other, which would make it easier for them to run them both, but with completely different concepts. I know one of them is going to be a cross training gym since that's what both he and Kouga are into. The other one I think is going to be women's only."

"It's going to be half and half, but not like half women and half men," Kagome interjected. They had actually asked her opinion on this one and then tapped her expertise later and even offered her a job setting it up. She had declined but said she would gladly help all the same. "A developer has come in and renovated the old M-Mart building. They were able to get half of it and split it further into two different retail locations. One space is going to be a women's only gym with machines and classes and such, but it's going to be directly connected to the other space which is going to be a children's gym. Or, really, it's a indoor playground with some specific fitness goals. The idea is that anyone can bring their kids to the kid's gym and let them 'workout' there, or a mom can drop of their kid then go to the gym right next door and workout too."

"So it's a fitness area for kids that also functions as childcare while the mom worksout?" Sesshomaru clarified.

"Yes."

"Ah, well, now I know why they wanted to pick your brain."

"They actually started by just asking about what women would want out of a gym and when I brought out the essentials of childcare it kind of expanded from there. I think it's a really good idea though. I hope it's successful."

Togo studied her for a few moments, all flirtation gone, and then nodded. "I think that settles it. Inuyasha asked if I would invest some capital into it to get them started, all those machines and whatnot being expensive, but hearing that they've actually done market research and consulted with experts - and let's face it, Sesshomaru actually said positive things about InuYasha, which is unheard really - then I think I'll invest."

"Actually, Togo, if you could set up a meeting with your son and his partner, then I'd like to hear what they say. It sounds like a good idea and I might be interested in investing as well."

"I can certainly do that," Togo said.

There was a slow quieting of the crowd as they all looked to the upraised stage at one side of the long room where a crowd had gathered. An older woman stood at a podium waiting for everyone to quiet down before beginning. "I would like to welcome everyone here for the eighth annual…"

Kagome let the words fade out as she relaxed back in her chair as much as her stiff dress would allow. From the corner of her eyes she noticed Togo's attention was on her still, as was Ayako who looked less than pleased.


	5. Chapter 5

The trip home was even more quiet than the trip out to the country club, but significantly more relaxed. As they pulled off the freeway, Sesshomaru finally broke the silence. "So, not completely terrible, I hope?"

"The food was good. Some of the people were very nice. And finding out that you're an excellent dancer was definitely a highlight."

She was completely leaning back against the seat, the seat warmer on at the lowest level, and she lulled her head to the side to watch him drive. The streetlights illuminated him in harsh orange in a steady interval. Occasionally, he would look over to her and smile. "Part of my education was learning how to ballroom dance. Not a fun activity for a boy just coming to puberty who thinks girls are both gross and attractive with no control of his thoughts or body. I'm surprised it didn't traumatize me more."

Kagome's light laughter flooded the car interior. "It's weird to think of you going through puberty because it's hard to see you not calm and in complete control all the time."

"I'm not that now. It's not even possible to be that when Inuyasha is involved."

Kagome laughed again. "Very true. I never really understood why the two of you lived together, and I'm even more confused now. Seems like you two could afford to live apart."

"Mostly it's a compromise with my father. He helps supplement Inuyasha's income only if we live together and I can help look over him."

"What do you get out of it then? Is your income supplemented as well?"

"No. I make enough through work and my own investments. I'm my father's heir and most of the family's wealth, property, and etc will go to me upon his death. This means I have a certain amount of duty to follow his instructions and so I do it because he asked me to."

"Like you went to this dinner because he asked you to?"

"Exactly."

"His girlfriend doesn't seem to like either of you very well."

"I was wondering when you'd bring that up. Neither Inuyasha or I like her. She's a horrible person, complete gold-digger and one in a dozen my father uses and throws aside - not that I agree with that behavior, mind you," he paused to look over at Kagome for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. "I just deal with her because she's not nearly as clever or manipulative as she thinks and my father is not stupid. But Inuyasha and her got into a nasty fight once; he straight up told her how things will go - how they've always gone for the women our father has dated since Inuyasha's mother's death years ago - and well, she took exception to it. Each of these women think they'll be the one to get him to marry her, but it'll never happen."

"Why?"

"Coping mechanism. He used to say the only way he would marry again is if he could find someone like Inuyasha's mother again. To be honest, that made me angry as a teenager because it seemed to discount his marriage to my mother, but there was never any love loss between the two. I'm still not one hundred percent sure why they ever married."

Kagome shook her head. "He sounds rather selfish, actually."

Sesshomaru chuckled a little. "I wouldn't disagree. Feel free to tell him so when you next meet him. He won't take it personally but could probably use being told that by someone not in the family."

"You think I'll see him again?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged but had a bit of a smirk to his thin lips. "I'm willing to bet he'll show up at random at the house in the next week or two. Probably under the guise of talking to Inuyasha about his business venture."

"How is that a guise? It seems he wants to invest."

"Because we go to him, not the other way around."

"But…why?"

"You."

He said it so honestly and straightforward that it made Kagome do a double take. "Excuse me, what? Why me?"

"Because you're stunningly beautiful, intelligent, and witty," he paused to laugh a little. "Actually, if there was anyone who could make Togo Takashi agree to try marriage again it would be you."

Kagome groaned at the thought. "I-I don't even have an answer to how wrong that is."

"What?" he said in mock exasperation. "You don't want to be Inuyasha and mine's new step-mother. I would get to call you mummy and everything."

"I don't believe you've called anyone mummy in your life. Though it might be fun to order Inuyasha to actually behave for once."

"You're right, I didn't. And you're naive to think he would obey even you."

"Well as his future step-mother, I'll just have to introduce him to a bit of corporal punishment. My grandfather used to keep an old board in a corner he would threaten us with spankings when my brother and I misbehaved - not that he ever used it on us."

"Didn't have the heart or neither of you ever misbehaved?"

"He didn't have the heart."

Again he laughed and tossed her a quick smile as he made a turn towards their neighborhood. "I have no doubt you take after him."

Kagome did a over exaggerated sigh. "I think you're right. I'll need to figure out a better way to punish the two of you when you're naughty."

The merriment continued with a few more verbal jabs until they slowed up to Sesshomaru's driveway. It was filled with cars, with a few on the street and one in her own driveway beside her own car."Pull up behind my car," she instructed him so he didn't have to park randomly in the street.

He did as instructed, shutting off the car and frowning at his home. All the lights were on, the front door cracked, but at least the noise level wasn't out of control. Still, it wasn't really what he wanted to deal with at the moment.

"You suppose this was planned or put together at the last moment?"

Sesshomaru shrugged. "I'm just grateful they're being respectful of the neighbors."

"Now. It is past midnight, who knows what they were doing earlier."

"Good point," he looked at her with an appreciative smile. "Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight? I think you put everyone there to shame."

"There were models there," she said deadpan.

"I stand by what I said. I was the envy of everyone there for having you by my side, and I can't tell you how happy it made me to have someone to relieve the tediousness of shallow schmoozing."

She blushed prettily, ducking her head a bit to hide her face. He was having nothing of it and leaned forward to hook a finger under her chin. He bent forward to catch her eyes as he slowly lifted her head. He heard the catch of his breath and noticed her gaze slid to his lips. His own heart sped up, a smirk playing over those very lips as he leaned forward. She froze for a moment before leaning in too, their lips meeting tentatively together. It was a moment only and chaste, but they both pulled away breathing a bit faster. "I-I"m not easy because you treated me to a wonderful night of 'seeing how my betters live," she said quietly with a bit of humour in her voice.

"Never thought that for a moment," he replied, also in a whisper.

"But damn if that suit makes you way too hot."

He pulled back from her to lean against his door as he threw his head back and let out a heady laugh. "I'm glad you're just as much affected by me as I am by you."

"Hmm," she hummed. The windows were fogging up in the parked car. "Let's go inside. You can take refuge at my house."

He thanked her and pulled the keys out of the ignition while opening up his door. He realized a moment too late he was still buckled in and caught himself with the belt. Kagome saw his dilemma and reached over to undo his belt before doing her own. He got out of his car just as she opened her door. He locked the car form the door, to avoid the beeping noise from the key fob lock, then shut his door and jogged over to her side. She looked abashed as she held up her hand. "I'm sorry. This dress is just too stiff for some things," she explained as he helped her up.

He waited for her to step away from the care\ before closing the door. They walked to her door, waiting on the lit stoop as she fished out her keys and opened the door. She closed the door as soon as he had walked through and locked it. Throwing her keys in a silver catch-all dish a half table next to the door, she reached down and stepped out of her shoes first, with a sigh. Sesshomaru had gone into the living room and began to relax his own outfit. He took off his jacket, throwing it over the back of one of the chairs and then undid the tie and let it follow. He undid some of the top buttons of his shirt. "Is that not one of your friends' cars out front?" he asked, looking around for one of the women from earlier.

"Nope. I'm assuming it's one of the occupants next doors," she said. She took her phone out of the clutch and threw it on the couch. "I'm going to change real quick. I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer you."

He waved away the apology, he could deal with a slightly more relaxed version of what he was currently wearing.

"Feel free to make yourself comfortable. Raid anything in the kitchen. TV. Etc. I'll be right back."

He nodded and walked around to sit on the couch and take off his shoes and socks. He balled up his socks and stuffed them into one of his dress shoes. He stood back up and went into the kitchen as he heard Kagome moving around upstairs.

She had thrown the shiney clutch on a chair to put up later. The dress was thankfully pretty easy to get in and out of thanks to the plunging back and she stepped out of it with a sigh. The dress had a build in bra and she didn't feel like putting one on this late in the day. She stopped to hang her dress up before changing into a pair of plaid sleeping shorts then a tee shirt with a local band's tour schedule on it. She next walked into the bathroom. She took out the pins in her hair, putting them in a dish, and grabbing a scrunchy instead. She bent over, flipping her hair as she did, then brought it all together into a bun that she wrapped the scrunchy around. Standing back up, she grabbed a make-up remover wipe and began to wash her face. Several minutes later, her face was cleaned and moisturized. As she left the room, she double backed once more and quickly brushed her teeth - just in case - before leaving the master suite completely. She walked down the stairs to the smell of popcorn and the TV on low with the movie trailer voice doing his thing on some upcoming film from ten years ago. Sesshomaru was sitting on the chaise part of the couch his arms resting on the back and his legs stretched out the length of the chaise. A bowl of popcorn was sitting on the table next to the couch with a soda on a coaster. Just under the pungent smell of the popcorn was the smell of coffee. She smiled and went to lean over the back of the couch in his space, surprising him a little bit.

"You put on coffee?"

"I seem to remember saying you liked a cup on late nights."

"Your memory is way too good."

He looked up at her with a bit of a smirk. He didn't say anything, just waggled his brows at her until she laughed. She leaned forward and kissed him just at the corner of his lips, before standing back up and going into the kitchen. She found a fresh coffee cake - a dense cinnamon pound cake that Sango was famous for making - under a glass cloche on her cake plate. A note from Sango simply said "Enjoy!" in Sango's neat print. She walked over to a little white board she kept on her fridge to remind her of things she needed and wrote on it a gift card for Sango. She then went and opened the cloche, grabbed a cake knife, and then cut out a rectangular slice from the fragrant cake and put it on a small plate. She recovered the cake, put the knife at the base of the cake plate, then grabbed a fork. Placing it on the plate too, she then grabbed a sparkling unicorn mug from a mug tree and pulled out the coffee carafe. She poured the coffee, jumping into the fridge for a moment to grab a bit of creamer and put a few dashes in it until it was just turning to a lighter brown colour. Putting that back, she grabbed her mug and her plate and went back into the living room.

She noticed a considerable amount of the popcorn was missing from the bowl as she approached the couch again. Sesshomaru was putting another handful into his mouth when she walked around the chaise and sat down next to him, pulling her legs underneath her. She handed her mug to him and he took it automatically. He waited until his other hand was clean before leaning over and grabbing another coaster and putting the mug on it. She thanked him, taking up her fork and beginning to enjoy the rich cake. The beginnings of the National Treasure sequel was playing; Nic Cage doing that weird pursed face look he seemed to think was good acting. "Why this movie?" she asked.

"I grabbed something I wouldn't be sad if I fell asleep to."

Kagome laughed. "Yeah, they're decent for a single watch but not that exciting after that. Have you seen it?"

"Years ago. Why do you own it if you wouldn't rewatch it?"

"My grandfather loves them and he got me a set for Christmas one year."

They continued to watch the movie until Kagome finished her cake. She leaned forward to put the plate on the coffee table. Sesshomaru had her mug waiting for her when she leaned back and she took it with a bright smile. She looked around the couch until she located the remote between them. She paused the movie on the DVD, then turned it back to TV mode. The smart TV had several apps and she clicked on the Netflix one.

"Another bad movie marathon?"

"Nope. Since you obviously don't care what we watch, I'm going to watch something good."

She waited for Netflix to load, sipping on her coffee, before going to her to her recently watched list and loading up The Great British Bake Off. She sat back, putting the remote next to her - realizing her phone was next to her already - and finding Sesshomaru's arm had come down off the back of the couch to curl around her shoulders. She leaned a bit against him, getting comfortable in the dim living room light as he ate his popcorn and she enjoyed her coffee to the baking competition.


	6. Chapter 6

Sesshomaru woke to his phone going off. He had fallen asleep on the chaise, half sitting with Kagome curled up against him. At some point they had pulled a blanket out of a basket beneath the coffee table and covered themselves up. Sleep had come soon after. Blurry eyes looked at his buzzing phone. Inuyasha's name took up the upper portion of the screen, he squinted to see 430am in a tiny font at the top. He hit the power button twice to decline the call, doing it once again when Inuyasha called right back. He was about to put his phone back on the table when a text came through.

 **What the fuck are you doing at Kagome's?**

 _Why didn't you come home?_

 **You better not have tried anything with her.**

 **Bastard, I know you're awake, answer the fucking phone.**

 **Or else I'll come over and beat down the door.**

 _Please don't. Kagome is asleep._

 **How do you know that?**

 _Obviously because I'm at her house. We fell asleep on the couch._

 _I would have come home to crash if there hadn't been an unexpected party going on when we arrived._

 **It wasn't a party. We were just playing games and watching movies.**

 _Still a lot of people for someone tired._

 **So what did you two end up doing…**

 _Netflix and Chill._

 **You did what?!**

 **You know that means fuckin, right?**

 **You didn't.**

 **You can't do that to Kagome.**

 **I can't believe you, mother fucker.**

 **You're just like our bastard father.**

 _Shut up, Inuyasha._

 _I was just messing with you. We literally just watched Netflix until we fell asleep._

 _Which is what I would like to be doing now._

 _Why are you even awake?_

 **Some people choose to put effort in their appearance. I'm heading to the gym.**

 _Expect a call from dad. Kagome convinced him your business venture was worth investing in and may have gotten another party interested too._

 **What?**

 _I'll explain when I'm more coherent. I want to actually get some extra sleep today._

 _Just expect a call from dad._

There was silence again and Sesshomaru hoped that was the end of it and prepared to put his phone away and go back to sleep. Kagome muttered something in her sleep and snuggled closer, just barely disrupting her cat that had made himself comfortable on top of the blankets. His phone went off again and Sesshomaru decided to just answer it this time. His voice was husky from sleep. "What do you want?" he said in a whisper.

"Y-you didn't really do anything, right? I mean, it's Kagome and everything."

Sesshomaru reached over and moved a bit of stray hair that had come down from Kagome's bun. "Did I sleep with her? No. I told you, we watched a show on Netflix then fell asleep. She's still asleep right next to me."

There was a pause on the other side. Inuyasha rarely showed his more insecure side and almost never to him personally. His voice seemed small, like a little boy's, over the phone. "You're perusing her, aren't you?"

"Pursuing?"

"Sounded like something you would say."

Sesshomaru snorted a bit, his mind already sliding back into that sleepy state. "If I said yes, would you get angry?"

"No," he said after a long pause. "I knew you always liked her. You never show anyone the same interest you've shown in her - and that's in general. It's just - I think for once I wanted to be good enough too. But I think I also knew that Kagome was always too good for me too."

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru started. "You're good enough for anyone. I'm sorry if my interest in Kagome has made you feel inferior. You shouldn't be. Ever. I just spent hours at an event filled with inflated egos with nothing to back it up. You were more than worthy than almost all of them."

"Almost?" he snorted into the phone.

"Well, I was there, so I couldn't say everyone."

Inuyasha's deep chuckle came over the phone. They paused a bit, both a bit lost in their own thoughts.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah. Let me stew on it a bit. I'm not going to stop harassing you about her though, I hope you know that."

"Wouldn't think you would. Now, can I please go back to sleep?"

"Yeah. I'll talk to you when I get home."

"I'm turning my phone on silent. I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Whatever, asshole," Inuyasha replied without any malice and then hung up. Sesshomaru did as he said, turned his phone on silent, then threw it across the couch just for good measure. Kagome shifted against him as he tried to resettle and looked up at him sleepily. "Everything okay?" she asked, her words slurred.

"Mmhmm," he answered, trying to settle back down against her, but Kagome came more awake as he did so.

"Fuck sleeping on the couch," she groaned, stretching her body a little. "Let's go to bed."

She rolled off the couch, her movements clumsy in her sleepy state. She held out her hand for Sesshomaru, who eventually took it and stood. She pulled him towards the stairs, letting go of his hand as she grabbed the railings to the stairs to steady herself as she climbed. Sesshomaru continued to dutifully follow as they crossed into the master bedroom. Sesshomaru paused at the door as he watched Kagome shed her sweatshirt then pull the comforter off the bed and slide between the sheets. "Turn off the lights before you come," she said.

More awake, and concerned, Sesshomaru stayed put. Buyo came in between this legs and jumped up on the bed. "Kagome, are you sure? I can go sleep in another bed. Or go home. The party has long been over."

Kagome's head raised a bit from the grey pillow. "It's up to you. But I'm cold and sleepy. S'not like we weren't sleeping together earlier anyway."

Sesshomaru debated for a few minutes as he watched her try to bury further into her sheets. Eventually, he made up his mind. He flipped off the light switch and walked further into the room. He untucked his shirt and unbuttoned it, throwing it onto a chair, then undid his belt and took off his pants. Clad only in his navy boxer briefs, strangely but not purposefully coordinated with his suit from the night before, he went and climbed into the bed. As soon as he settled in, the soft sheets cold against his skin, Kagome moved over and snuggled up against him. She mumbled something against his skin, reaching out and hooking her arm around his waist. He tried to make small movements to get comfortable until they both fell back into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

It was nearly mid-afternoon on the holiday morning that Kagome walked out onto her back porch. She felt rather awkward given that she had basically dragged Sesshomaru into her bed the morning before - though it was done innocently. Once they had woken - around noon - they had parted awkwardly, Kagome not sure how she was supposed to act and Sesshomaru seeming aware of her feelings. He had eventually tried to laugh it all off, leaned in to steal a kiss, and asked if they could plan a proper date in the near future. She sighed into the kiss and had agreed, but other than a few texts throughout the day, they hadn't really spoken since then.

"Ah, if it isn't the beautiful neighbor," a loud voice called to her from the Takashi backyard. It was Togo.

She had put her sunglasses on before coming out and was grateful he couldn't see her roll of her eyes. "Good afternoon, Mr. Takashi."

He stood on the deck and cocked his hip to side. He was dressed considerably more casual, surprisingly similar to Inuyasha. She was beginning to wonder what exactly Sesshomaru had inherited from his father.

"None of that, please. It makes me feel old. Just Togo, please." He paused to look her up and down, his eyes focusing on her legs that were bare outside of her shorts.

She was hoping that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were also out back when she people speaking earlier, but it seemed it was just him at the moment.

Inuyasha had already warned her that Kouga would be coming by for the BBQ they were having that evening, which she had also been invited to. The preparation in the backyard was pretty magnificent - both brothers had worked on it Sunday after they were both moving. Festive lanterns were being held up by polls attached to the fence poles and a makeshift screen had been strung up between two more poles at the end of the yard. Some of their patio furniture had already been put out, a few blankets on the ground, and others invited to the party were advised to bring their own chairs too. Kagome had volunteered some of her own wicker, patio furniture for the cause, which they were going to help her cart over just before the event.

"Hey, old man, what are you doing out here," Inuyasha yelled, coming out on the deck.

He saw Togo's body positioning and looked over to see Kagome. She waved at him with a tight smile. "Hey, Kagome."

Inuyasha was also being awkward with her, which was starting to grate on her nerves. Togo laughed a bit as he looked between the two. "It seems you've captivated all the Takashi men," he said. "I wonder who will have the pleasure of our affection."

Inuyasha growled at him, whipping around and stepping forward towards him menacingly. Kagome tried to hide her grimace. Her phone rang from her back pocket and she pulled it out to see Sesshomaru's face on the screen. She answered it with a simple "hello?"

"Did we ever agree on the terms of that bet I just won?"

Kagome couldn't help herself and she bent over, holding the phone away, as she dissolved into laughter. Both Inuyasha and Togo looked at her in confusion. She eventually caught her breath enough to bring the phone back to her ear and straight back up. "I don't think we set anything, actually."

"Damn. I'll have to be more careful in the future. Don't mention you're staying for the BBQ tonight, or he may stay too. He's been here doing nothing all day hoping to see you, I think. His discussion about Inuyasha's business has been minimal other than to make an appointment on his calendar."

"I'll make a note of that."

She was grinning, trying to hide it behind her hand, and Inuyasha seemed to pick up on what was going on. He looked into the house and saw Sesshomaru in the kitchen on the phone and began cursing. "Why the fuck did you call her instead of just coming out here. Lazy piece of shit."

"Busted," she said with a grin in her voice, before she hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket.

Inuyasha was still yelling at Sesshomaru, who was obviously ignoring him, because that always seemed to rile Inuyasha up more. Togo's attention was now on his sons, his amusement at their behaviors obvious in his smile and body language. Kagome took the moment to escape. "I suppose I'll see you at the BBQ," Togo shouted over Inuyasha right as she slid her door open and stepped in. She gave him a forced smile and waved.


	8. Chapter 8

Sesshomaru had invited Sango and Miroku over to the BBQ. The engaged couple had met the brothers a few times before, but hadn't really hung out. Kagome was grateful for Sango's presence. She kept Togo away with a sharp look - not that stopped him from flirting with the other women. It seemed Miroku and Inuyasha had hit it off though; they were already making plans to hang out again.

"Need anything else?" Inuyasha asked as he walked by with a galvanized tub of ice and bottled beer that he had just refilled. The sun was just an afterthought of the day now, which meant the projector was warming up and everyone was beginning to make their way to the mismatched, temporary living room. The neighbor on their otherside had also been invited and the small family was already sitting on one of the blankets, sipping on their drinks. "We're fine," Kagome said, shooing him on with his heavy burden.

Miroku grabbed one of the bottles from the tub, dancing away as Inuyasha barked at him and kicked out with one of this foot. He put it down on a table set up to the side under a tree that spanned from their property over onto her's. Miroku approached Sango and Kagome as they stood talking about the week ahead. He greeted Kagome again with a salute of his bottle. "So what are we watching?"

"A movie," Kagome answered, honestly not sure, but enjoying being a smart ass to Miroku who the king of smart assery.

He waggled his brows at her for that one and looked to Sango as if she would somehow magically know. She just ignored him, use to his antics. "So are the two of you going on another date," she asked, referring to a conversation from earlier.

"Oh, yeah. We've discussed it but no plans have been made."

"Oh? With who?" Miroku asked.

Sango gave him a deadpan look. "With Sesshomaru, obviously. Who else has she gone on a date with recently?"

"Hey - I didn't realize it was a date. You made it seem like she was just helping him out."

"Well, yeah, I guess I was."

"So how did it turn into a date?"

Kagome shrugged. "It just did."

He waited, wanting more details, but she wasn't willing to kiss and tell. He eventually gave up trying to get more details. Sesshomaru finally came out of the house. He had been a rare sight during most of the party still working on cooking and refilling the bits that had gone through rather quickly. He approached their little group, looking exhausted, and holding a mug as he did so. He handed it out to Kagome once he got next to her, and she lit up with delight. "I took a peek at the creamer you used yesterday, so it should be a decent approximation to how you make it. Feel free to take the leftover home with you."

"How domestic of you," Miroku teased.

"Who do you think cooked your food tonight?"

"My make-believe future husband. Thank you, future husband," Miroku replied.

Sesshomaru chuckled a little, shaking his head. "You're welcome, future husband," he replied back.

"So what are we watching tonight?"

"I'm not sure. That's Inuyasha's area. I was just in charge of food. Some blockbuster movie, I think. I'm 99 percent sure he illegally downloaded it."

"Probably," Miroku said. "Shall we get seats?"

They all walked towards the chairs. The wicker furniture they had brought from Kagome's was nearly completely empty at the back of the sitting area. A long patio lounger was available and Miroku laid out on. Sango took one of the wicker chairs next to him. All Kagome's wicker furniture had thick cushions on the bottom in green and white, with coordinated pillows that she made sure came over too. Wicker could be so uncomfortable when not popularly cushioned. Sesshomaru guided Kagome to love seat. She sat down with careful attention to her coffee. Sesshomaru walked over and got a beer and a plate of food and walked back to sit next to her. As soon as he was seated, Kagome moved to sit long ways using a pillow to prop up her lower back against the armrest. She stretched her legs over his, moving his beer to tuck it between her thigh and the back of the couch. Sesshomaru didn't bat an eye, instead concentrating on getting a quick bite to eat. He would grab his beer from time to time, to take a swig, before continuing to eat. Once he was done with his plate, he leaned forward and put it on the ground. He drank a couple more droughts of his beer before putting it too on the ground.

"Feel better?" she asked quietly. Inuyasha was setting up the movie. There seemed to be a bit of a glitch in the sound, so while they could see the opening credits, they couldn't hear anything and Inuyasha and Kouga were working together to get it fixed.

"Yeah. I nibble here and there when I cook, mostly to taste test, but I admit I haven't had a full meal today and that was quite delicious, if I say so myself."

"Says the cook heaping praise on himself."

He gave her a side eye as she slumped a bit down onto the love seat. He followed Kagome's example and pulled the other pillow behind his lower back for support. His arms found their purchase on her legs, one just above her knee and the other a bit higher. She blushed at the touch that stayed prudently right where it was, though her body felt flush at the touch. She didn't mind his hands, she just felt very exposed being surrounded people. She shoved down the unfamiliar feeling and looked to her side as the sound for the movie finally came on with a cheer from the crowd. They all sat back to enjoy the movie.


	9. Chapter 9

Kagome sat in her office and looked at the new applications that had been sent to her from the CEO of the company. They had two openings, which meant they could bring in two new kids. The rule was that new applications were to be considered only after waitlisted families were given the chance to enroll their kids officially. Most of those families had already found spots in other programs, so only one took them up on their offer. That left one spot to fill from the new applicants and it was her choice. She had guidelines, the first and foremost being on who could pay. She was to gauge the applicants to make sure they didn't have a problem down the road in getting tuition. She hated this part. There was a upper middle class family who had just moved to the area that had put in an application. They seemed well enough during their interview earlier that day, though the child looked like a spoilt horror already. But of all of the applicants, it was a grandmother that had caught her eye the most. She had talked about wanting to get her grandson the best start she could and was willing to take on extra shifts to get him into their program. Kagome was slightly concerned that such an elderly woman was working herself so hard, but there was a determination mixed with desperation in her eyes that stuck with Kagome and made the biggest impression.

She put down the paperwork on her desk, looking at the other two applicants then putting them aside to be filed in a waitlisted column. It really was down to these two people. Not knowing where to go from there, she did the one thing she always did when she needed advice: call her mom.

"Hello sweetie," her mom answer on the second ring. "How are you?"

"I'm flummoxed."

The older woman laughed a little. "Well, considering it's still during work hours, it must be a work question."

"Correct."

"Okay, let's hear what you go."

Kagome sat back and related her problem, discussing the two people who were down for one spot, her interviews with them, what management would prefer her do, but what she felt was better. She let it all off her chest. Often talking aloud could help her work out some of the issues alone with little actual input from her mother, but today it left her with the same pit in her stomach.

"That's a hard one. You don't want to put your job in trouble, but you've always had a keen eye for those that might need a little extra help. Do you remember that little boy who joined in your class in year 4, just half a year before you started Kindergarten?"

"Yeah, I think so. He was really shy and it took a lot to get him to come out and play at recess with us?"

"Yes, him. He was what the big bosses would call a charity case. He didn't come from a very good home and there were times that I, secretly of course, paid for his tuition to keep him in school. He had been pulled out of a public program for lower income families because the students would bully him so bad. The student-teacher ratio in those programs are chosen to keep costs low so they couldn't stop it. His best chance at a good education and a better chance at proper social growth was through our program, so I made a decision to put him in. I was never questioned about it - as long as they got their money management never made too big of a fuss - but it was the one little thing I could do to make a difference in a kid who probably wouldn't have the chance otherwise."

Kagome sat on the phone, digesting the information and nodding to herself.

"I don't know if that helps any, Kagome, but hopefully it gave you more to think over. Do you need to talk it out more to me?"

"No," she said after a bit of a pause. "I think I'm ok. Thanks for taking some time to let me think out loud."

"It's what I'm here for."

Kagome hummed a response, already thinking to her next steps. She vaguely heard her mom say something else, but had to ask her to repeat herself. "Will you call me once when you aren't at work?"

"Of course. Was there something you needed?"

"Well, I have my connections to keep up with you since you don't like to talk to me about personal matters and rumour has it that you're dating someone."

Kagome frozen and took a deep breath. "I'm not. Not really. I've just been on a few dates with one of my neighbors."

"Oh. The silver-haired ones?"

"Yes."

Her mother paused, obviously expecting more information but not getting anything. She eventually sighed. "Fine. I'll go through my spies to get more dirt. Though I would at least like to know when you two are officially dating."

"I don't know if it'll come to that."

"Mmm," her mom answered, obviously not believing her.

"Fine, mom. I'll call you later when I'm not at work."

"Perfect. I love you sweetie."

"Love you too and thanks."

They hung up and Kagome looked over the applications. She took a deep breath and picked up the office phone. She dialed the number and waited for the elderly voice of Mrs. Kaede to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Kaede?"

"This is she. How may I help you?"

"Good afternoon. This is Kagome Higurashi from H Childcare. I just want to call and inform you that we've opened up the spot to Shippo to join our program, should you still be interested."

There was a strangled sound on the other end that sounded almost like a sob. "Mrs Kaede?"

"I-I'm here, Ms. Higurashi. I'm just so excited. I can't thank you enough for even considering us."

"I thank you for being interested in our program. We'll have a few things you need to sign and a deposit to be made if you want to come in at your next convenience and then we'll get Shippo started at once. I'll give you the orientation material at that time and we can go over any questions or concerns you have. Does that sound good?"

"I can be over there first thing tomorrow morning? Is that okay?"

"Of course," Kagome smiled into the phone.

"Will it be okay if Shippo comes with me?"

"Of course. We can actually introduce him to his teacher and class. It might help his transition a little to get a little taste of what to expect."

Kaede thanked her again, several times, before finalizing the time for the morning once more, and then hanging up. Picking up her cell phone, she opened up the banking app on her phone and checked her balance. She did a few quick figures in her hand, then transferred the money for the tuition deposit into her bank account. She'd cover that to get Shippo in and then work with the family in the future if necessary.

Sitting back, she pushed aside the other application in a to-do box. She would need to call them tomorrow, after everything with Kaede and Shippo was finalized, and tell them that the spot had gone to someone else. She always hated that part of the job and wished she could just send out an email to the family instead of talking to them in person. There was always two ways they seemed to take it - either by screaming and yelling at her or begging - and it was hard for her will power to hold up against either. Shippo's application she put in a new folder and tucked away in a vertical filing divider for tomorrow. Next, she pulled up a list of the classroom assignments on her computer. The waitlisted kid she had already assigned to Center D in Mrs. Robinson's class, a lovely older lady who was a bit strict but with a lot of love behind it. She had worked there since her mother held her job and had helped her transition a lot. She had already emailed Mrs. Robinson that she would have a new student starting the next week. Now she needed to find a place for Shippo. There was open spot was in Ms. Kayla's class; again, great teacher (all of them were, if she was honest), but often used more active teaching techniques. This was great for hyper kids who needed to get their excess energy out. But it had mixed results with shy kids. Some, it brought out them out of their shell, but others it just intimidated and made them all the more awkward.

Kagome sighed and sent an email to Kayla. She let her know a new student would be sitting in on her class tomorrow to see if he was a good fit. If not, they would have to rearrange some. It wouldn't be hard. There were a couple of students from other classes that would do well in Kayla's class, if the parents gave permission for the switch. Email sent, she went back to some of the everyday management issues looking at numbers, supplies, and other boring lists. She took out a yellow legal pad from her desk and began to separate what she needed to do or investigate of those numbers and continued on in the fashion she had been doing with her mom since she was fifteen.


	10. Chapter 10

**! WARNING CHARACTER DEATH !**

"Morning Shippo," Kagome said, walking up to the childcare center's front walkway and seeing the undersized boy running to her. He waved at her wildly, a smile on his face. Because of Kaede's early shifts, she always dropped it off at Kagome's arrival time instead of normal drop off. She looked to see Kaede still in the car, watching her grandson carefully. Kagome waved at her, indicating that he was safely with her, and she waved back before pulling off.

Two months he had been with the center and was already showing improvements. He was a bright child and, as he adjusted to the kids around him, social and active. He fit into Ms. Kayla's classroom well, though the other teachers jokingly complained at their last meeting that they all wanted him in their class too. He still had some behavioral issues - it seemed it often played up when discussions of families came up or when kids brought in outside toys to show off to each other. There was a reason outside toys were a big no-no, but some parents thought they were above such things. When he was acting up he was sent to Kagome's office to calm down. She usually let him sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk while she worked. He would calm down until he apologized to her without prompting and she would bring him back to his class to apologize to the others.

"Good morning," Shippo answered, slightly out of breath in the cooler air, as he came to a sliding halt next to her.

Kagome took out her keys and unlocked the building. She let him in, then turned to the security pad next to the door and entered her code to disarm the building. "Did you get anything for breakfast?"

"Yes," Shippo answered. "I had frozen waffles. Grandma doesn't like buying ones at the store, but when she has the time she'll make a lot of them and freeze them herself. They're super yummy."

"That's really smart. I should do the same."

Shippo beamed.

They both walked towards Kagome's office. Shippo rushed forward as they walked and turned on the hall lights as they moved through the building. She thanked him as they stopped at her door. It took her a moment to unlock it, holding open the door for Shippo to enter.

Kagome had asked Kayla about book recommendations to keep in her office, for Shippo, and he went straight to the corner where she had stored the little picture books. Throwing down his bag next to the kid-sized chair, he grabbed one of the books and sat down to read it. Kagome smiled at him, listening as he sounded out words and connected them with the pictures on the opposite page. She fired up her computer, sat down, and began her pre-work prep.

Kagome was sorting through various network-wide memos when her phone rang. The light on the board was flashing 1, which meant it was an outside line. The other numbers were assigned to various classrooms, in case of an emergency. Kagome reached over and picked up the phone.

"Kagome?"

"This is she."

"Hey, Kagome. This is Yasu."

"Yasu," she said with a surprise. "How are you?"

She and Yasu had been friends in college. He was studying to be a social worker and they had taken a couple of similar classes. After they had volunteered together, he had actually tried to convince her to switch majors.

"Same old, same old. Though, I wish I was getting to call for personal reasons. It's been way too long since we've gotten to catch up."

"What's up?"

"I understand you have a child in your program named Shippo Kitsune?"

Kagome's breath caught and her heart began to hammer. "Yes. What's wrong?"

"His grandmother collapsed today at work."

"Mrs. Kaede? Is she okay?"

"She's in the hospital."

Kagome swallowed. "Exhaustion?" she asked hopefully.

Yasu sighed a little. "I don't really have a lot of liberty to discuss the details, but the gist of it is the doctor's aren't hopeful. Social services were called to take custody of her grandson, Shippo."

"Is she awake? Can Shippo come see her at least?"

"I don't know how long she'll hang on."

"Are you at the hospital?"

"Yes. I have more than one thing to attend to here."

"Because of Kaede's schedule, I got her to sign a release that would allow me to drive Shippo home or to where she was if necessary. Let me pull him out of class and bring him to you."

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"If the doctor's aren't hopeful, at least he should have the chance to say goodbye. She's all he has."

Yasu sighed again. He always had kept his hair shaggy and she could imagine him mussing his hair as he tried to decide upon an answer. "Are you sure you can handle breaking it to the kid? It's a lot harder than it looks."

"I understand, but I want to give him this chance."

"Get here quickly then, but drive safely. Do you have a car seat for him?"

"Of course."

"I'll see you when you get here. She's in room 4223."

"Thanks."

Kagome hung up the phone. She pushed away from her desk, unlocking the drawer at the bottom where she kept her personal items. Standing up, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing the tears away. Shippo needed her to be strong. She fished her keys out of her pursed as she headed out of her office. Closing up, she walked at a quick pace down the hallway. She would email the teachers once she got to the hospital, though she would at least let Kayla know what was going on.

She knocked on the door when she finally arrived. She poked her head in; a roomful of little faces snapped their attention to her as she walked in. They were doing arts and crafts, thankfully, so Kayla was available to talk.

"There's been an emergency with Shippo's grandmother," Kagome whispered to Kayla. "I'm going to take him to the hospital."

"Is it bad?" she asked.

"The social worker I talked to couldn't give me details, but I get the impression it's not good."

"Social worker? Oh dear," she looked over to Shippo's table where he was concentrating hard on his own art project, his little tongue sticking out between his teeth.

"Will he be back? They won't take him from us, will they?"

"I don't know," Kagome's shoulder drooped a little. "I just don't know. Hopefully I can find out more when I get to talk to his social worker."

"I'll let the other teachers know; let us know if there is anything we can do for him. I'm sure we can all come up with enough money to cover his tution if necessary."

Kagome thanked her. "Call me if you need anything."

"Same for you."

Kayla took a deep breath before gently calling Shippo to them. His smile nearly made Kagome cry. He put down his art materials and walked over to their corner of the room. Kagome squatted down. "Shippo, I need you to go grab your stuff. I need to take you somewhere, okay?"

Shippo looked at her oddly, just staring for a bit before his whole body seemed to deflate. He turned around slowly and went towards his cubby.

"Don't worry about your art supplies. I'll clean it up and have it ready for you to finish tomorrow," Kayla told him as he walked past her.

He nodded a bit, but didn't turn around. Kagome stood up, thanked Kayla again, then moved to the door. Moving sluggishly, Shippo met her at the door and allowed her to shuffle him outside.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"Your grandmother got sick at work. She's at the hospital right now and I'm going to take you to her. You'll get to meet my friend Yasu too; he's a real nice guy."

He didn't say anything else. She walked him to her car and buckled him into his seat. She was quick to get going, taking every shortcut and side-street she knew to get them to the hospital faster. As soon as they were there, she popped out of the car, grabbed Shippo, then began towards the looming building.

No one gave them more than two glances as they made their way to the elevators. Shippo was holding on to her hand tightly, his head downturned the entire time. Kagome hit the four button as soon as they entered the elevator. Only a few people were up and about so they didn't have to wait long. The nurse's station was right off the elevator across from a quiet sitting area. Yasu was sitting on a couch, one of the tables pulled up to his knees as he used it as a makeshift desk. Kagome walked the two of them over to him.

"Yasu," she said quietly.

He looked up with a start. He looked exhausted, his hair a mess and suit crumpled. "Kagome, it's really good to see you," he said a bit wide-eyed. His eyes trailed down to see Shippo's small figure attached to Kagome's like a lifeline. His smile, as weak as it was, faded immediately. "You must be Shippo," he said.

Yasu was quiet, but friendly. He tried to get Shippo to look up at him. After a few moments of no response, he gave up. "I'm going to clean up my mess here," he said to Kagome. "Why don't the two of you go down to Mrs. Kaede's room?"

Kagome nodded and stepped away with Shippo attached. They followed the signs until they found Kaede's room. Shippo was visibly shaking as they quietly stepped into the room. The room was filled with a cacophony from the medical machines attached to the older woman in the bed. She had a rattle in her chest that worried Kagome the most.

"Grandma," Shippo whimpered.

Kaede's eyes fluttered open. The smallest of smiles, just the barest lifting of her lips, appeared on her face as she saw her grandson. She called Shippo's name and with that, his dam broke. He ran to her, jumping onto her bed and crumpling into her form. Kaede winced a little. Wrapping her arms around him as she spoke something Kagome couldn't hear.

Kagome's eyes glassed over, her own chin quivering from repressing her own sobs. She heard Yasu come in behind her and she stepped to the side to let him into the room. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it a bit. Kaede look up at them both and nodded. Yasu walked forward to stand at the edge of the bed. Kagome stayed where she was, feeling out of place, but not wanting to let Kaede and Shippo be completely alone in this ordeal.

Yasu looked over to her and asked if we could fetch her a cup of coffee from down the hall. "The nurses share theirs with social workers; just let them know you're getting it for me."

She nodded and left in a hurry. Making her way back to the nurse's station, she asked the nurse behind the desk where she could find some coffee for Yasu. A pretty young woman, she giggled a little at his name and pointed to a closed door just behind where her. "It's in there. He likes two of the hazelnut creamers; they're next to the cups and stuff. Shouldn't be hard to figure out."

Kagome thanked her and she cautiously stepped into the nurse's breakroom. There were three people in there. One half-dosed on an uncomfortable looking couch made of that liquid-resistant fabric, and another had his eyes glued to the TV. The other, sitting at a little round table in front of the kitchenette, paused in eating her sandwich to look at her distastefully. "Becky is on call; she's at the front desk. Patients and guests aren't allowed in here."

"Becky pointed me this way," Kagome explained. "I'm getting coffee for Yasu - the social worker."

The woman at the table relaxed and nodded. She pointed behind her, on the counter of the kitchenette behind the sink, to where a coffee maker sat. It was brewing a fresh batch, the smell just barely noticeable over the normal smells of the hospital. Grabbing one of the heat-resistant, paper cups, she grabbed the carafe and poured the fresh brew until the cup was three-fourths full. Putting the carafe back, she reached for the creamers. There were a couple of different flavors, but she followed Becky's instructions, stirring the white liquid into the coffee, before throwing all the trash into a nearby bin and putting a lid on the cup. The nurse at the table was watching her again as she passed, but Kagome made sure to stop and thank her for her help. She nodded to her and Kagome made her way back to Kaede's room.

Yasu was waiting for her in the hallway. She held it out the cup to him and he gratefully took it. "You seem to have trained the nurses here well. They know how you take your coffee."

He gave a little snort as he drank. "That would be Becky. She and I have tried dating a few times, but we always fall back into just being friends. She's really nice though and I think she's trying to matchmake for me since she and I didn't work out. Be careful what you say to her or else you'll find yourself on a date with me."

"That would be awkward, especially since I'm currently dating someone. Not sure how he would feel about that."

"I didn't know you were dating anyone."

"We haven't talked in ages."

"We're Facebook friends; never saw an update on there."

Kagome's brows furrowed. "Oh yeah. No, I don't post a lot on there and I don't think Sesshomaru even has Facebook. Never thought to make it official there. Though, I've posted some pictures."

"I'll have to go look when I have some free time."

"When do you have free time?"

Yasu chuckled a little, leaning back against the wall and letting his head fall back. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts, Kagome looking anywhere but at the door that hid a little boy and his dying grandmother.

"She wants you to take in Shippo," Yasu eventually said.

Kagome's breath caught. "Me?"

Yasu nodded. "I told her it wasn't that simple, but she made me at least promise to tell you her wishes. I don't think she means to put pressure on you or anything. Mrs. Kaede seems to really like you. She said she saw Shippo bloom back into his former self under your care."

"I think she did that for him; I just helped him get into school."

Yasu's head flopped over to look at her, still resting a bit on the wall, and gave her a smirk. "We both know you're underplaying your role. You should think about it though."

"Adoption?"

"Well, I'd recommend fostering first. Most courts aren't big on placing unrelated children in an unmarried household, no matter how capable or loving that household might be. But fostering has a little more wiggle-room. There are lots of kids floating around the system that need a stable environment. As long as you meet certain requirements and pass background checks, fostering is a bit easier."

"W-would I meet those requirements?"

Yasu took a moment to list off the basic ones, then finished explaining how the local fostering system typically worked.

"This sounds like it will take a long time to get certified to get Shippo. Where will he be until then?"

Yasu shook his head. "At a facility. It's not great, but it's something. If you're interested, I'll pull some strings to get you fast-tracked. It helps that you already have to have background checks to work at your job. We may be able to tap those and just double-check you haven't received any police arrests or anything like that since the last check."

"Does being a passenger when a friend got pulled over for being a stupid driver count?" she tried to joke.

"Not your boyfriend hopefully?"

"His brother actually."

"Already friends with his family? You two must be pretty close then."

Kagome just shrugged. She had already met his dad; though Sesshomaru had yet to meet her mom and grandfather. Souta came to visit more often than the rest of her family and had already met both brothers. "They're my neighbors actually. I don't think it counts that I've met his brother already."

Yasu nodded. "I'll email you the application files over if this is really something you want to do. Though, you might want to talk this over with your boyfriend and the rest of your family. Even if it's just fostering, you'll be becoming a parent all the same and there are some major changes that will have to happen. There are actually some classes foster parents have to take to prepare themselves; though I can probably get you out of those too. Your job has some perks."

"It has a lot of perks, thank you. I get to work with great teachers as they develop young minds," she said with a faux-haughty laugh.

The door opened then, a small figure poking his head out. Behind him, they could hear the long, drone sound of a machine flatlining. Sounds from the nurses station came down the hallway as several nurses ran towards them. Kagome reached out, pushed the door open, and grabbed Shippo. They took several steps out of the way to let the nurses by while Shippo burrowed into her shoulder and cried.

Kaede was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

Kagome walked into her neighbor's house cautiously. They knew she was coming over, but it still made her feel weird to just walk right in without knocking first. She had a folder in her hand as she went into the foyer and straight into the living room. Inuyasha greeted her over his shoulder from his position on the couch. "Hey Kagome, what's up?"

"I need some help."

"With?"

Sesshomaru came out of the kitchen, leaning down and giving her a peck on the cheek that had some of her worries melting away. "Can you two look over my application?"

"Application for what?" Inuyasha asked, muting the TV and turning around on the couch.

"Fostering."

"Pets or people?" he asked.

"People. Or children really."

"Don't you get enough of those at your job?"

"Funny," Kagome replied. "But seriously. I told you about one of my student's grandmother who passed away?"

Sesshomaru nodded. He urged her towards the couch, taking the folder from her as they sat.

"Well, he doesn't have any family. He's such a sweet kid but pretty traumatized from so much death so young in his life. His social worker is a friend of mine and said his grandmother requested I take in Shippo. Yasu, my friend, even said he would help me get certified to foster quicker."

"That's a big commitment," Inuyasha said. "You'd effectively be a parent overnight. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

She gave him an annoyed look. Obviously she had thought all of this through before even starting the paperwork, but it was something she felt she could and should do. But as she looked at him, she realized Inuyasha hadn't been talking to her, but Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru was reading through the paperwork, his eyes dancing across the page as he read. When he came to the end, he closed the folder and nodded. "Everything looks in order. Is your friend going to conduct the interview?"

"He's going to bypass that part since he knows me. I just have to get my application approved by his supervisor. They got permission to use my last background check and my police record is clean."

"So when do you think you'd have custody of him?"

"They're hoping within a week of my approval, which is an unknown variable even with Yasu trying to push it through. But I think they're putting me in a priority position given the circumstances."

"Are you ready? Is your house kid-proofed? Is the room he'll be staying in ready? What else will you need?"

"Which room will he be staying in?" Inuyasha added.

"Probably the guest room."

"Can I recommend putting him in the smaller bedroom under the stairs? Not like Harry Potter or anything, but because it's a pretty cool room and I think a little kid would probably like it. Also, you might want to wait to decorate it or anything until he's there. Get him to help make it his own."

"Good idea," she replied. "Sango is giving me her brother's old bunk bed. I think I can probably fit that in the bottom room for him and then we can pick out bedding and stuff when he arrives."

"Do you need help cleaning out the room?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I can probably get it on my own," she said.

He shook his head. "Let me rephrase this, we'll help when you're ready to clean out the room."

"Definitely," Inuyasha added.

Kagome looked down at her lap and fiddled with the hem of her dress. She had other concerns too. Taking care of Shippo was only half of her worries. Inuyasha eventually guessed what was bothering her and responded with a dramatic sigh. "Should I leave so you can reassure your girlfriend that it's okay that she's going to be fostering a kid and that you'll be there to support the two of them as they get adjusted to each other? Because I swear, if you're too incapable of doing that, you don't deserve to be dating her."

"I thought you leaving would be obvious given that I like to approach these situations with more tact that you usually do," Sesshomaru said.

"Hint taken then. Let me know when you need help cleaning up anything," Inuyasha said, standing from the couch.

He walked over to Kagome and bent down to give her a quick peck on the cheek. He did his best positive smile, which was a stretch for him, that only left her laughing as he stood back up and left. Her laughter faded into an awkward silence as she looked over at Sesshomaru. She had been building up confidence for this conversation all day. "Are you okay dating someone who is a parent? Even if just fostering?" she blurted out before she lost her nerve.

"This nurturing, self-sacrificing side is a huge part of who you are. You have a big heart, it's probably the only reason you saw beyond my public facade and bothered to give me the time of day. I could hardly fault you for acting on those instincts when they've given me so much already."

Tears filled Kagome's eyes, relief overtaking her body and her emotions finally coming to a head. "Thank you," she said. "That means a lot to me."

Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. She made herself comfortable, the file folder discreetly moved away from them, as lips came together. Their relationship had barely graduated from teenage-styled makeout sessions, even after having spent the night sleeping next to each other after their first date. Kagome took the time to deepen their kiss, pulling closer to him, as he pressed her closer.

"Fuck," Inuyasha yelled, coming back into the room. "Can you two not do that in the common living areas? In fact, why not do it here at all? You two have a whole house free of roommates next door. Go there."

Sesshomaru pulled back, his lips swollen and a heady smile on his face. The same look was on Kagome's face, along with a blush, but she hid her face against Sesshomaru's chest. They were both breathing hard. "Or you could have just left without saying anything," Sesshomaru pointed out.

"I was in here to begin with."

He walked around and took a seat on another couch looking at them with a smug smile, perfectly aware that his presence was keeping them from continuing anything. "Plus, you two are going to have to watch yourselves if there is going to be a kid involved. I'm sure walking in on that would traumatize a small child. Hell, it traumatized me."

Sesshomaru took a moment to flick him off. Sitting back, he let his hands slowly fall from Kagome's waist to the couch cushions. Still red, she pushed off of Sesshomaru and retook her seat next to him. She refused to look at either of the brothers, instead looking the muted TV at the show that was playing. The two brothers just stared at each other for a bit until eventually Sesshomaru caved, remembering he had been preparing to cook before she had come over. However, given the change in everything, he found he didn't particularly feel like cooking anymore. He looked at Kagome. "Let's go grab a bite to eat," he said.

"Hey - you're cooking dinner for us tonight."

"Changed my mind. You're welcome to join or cook something yourself."

Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah, neither of those are going to happen. I'll just order pizza."

"There are some of your frozen ones in the freezer cooler."

"What?" Inuyasha said, sitting up. "Why are they in there?"

"Because they're disgusting and I didn't want them in with the real food. Plus, I was seeing how much you kept up with your own food. Not very well, it turns out."

"Have you been hiding any of my other stuff from me too?"

Sesshomaru just smirked. "You'll just have to look and see, I suppose," he stood and went into the kitchen to put away the food and cooking implements he had pulled out earlier. Moments later he had returned to the living room, motioned for Kagome to follow him, and they both walked out the front door. "Give me a second to grab my keys," she said, running to her own house. He went to his car and waited for her to come running back over. She opened up the car but didn't immediately get in.

"H-how hungry are you?" she asked,bending down awkwardly to look at him from outside the car.

"Not very. Why?"

She looked him in the eye, her cheeks still flushed. "L-let's just go back into my place? We can eat later."

Sesshomaru's heart beat twice and then everything went still. He didn't break eye contact as he fumbled with his seatbelt and door. He got out in a hurry, making his way around the car and following Kagome, who was already halfway to her door, looking over her shoulder from time to time with a shy smile. Kagome shut the door once they were both inside, both of their keys were thrown into the catch all on the hallway table, then Sesshomaru immediately pulled her into his arms. She had to crane herself up on tippy toes to reach him, so he pulled her up with two hands firmly on her butt until she was wrapped around him. Carrying her like that, sight unseen as they continued their kissing, was difficult as he climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

Sesshomaru dropped them both to the bed, immediately rolling to the side so as not to squish her, then began pulling at his clothes, lips still attached to her. Kagome worked on taking off her pants and panties, leaving the bra to Sesshomaru's wandering hands once he had tossed his clothes aside. He immediately latched onto one of her breasts once free and began to suck and bite on the nipple. Kagome arched into his mouth, moaning at the sensation. Her body spasmed with surprise when his hand traced up from her knee to her inner thigh until coming to her clit and began rubbing gently in time with his oral ministrations. "Fuck," Kagome moaned, her eyes going closed. She could feel Sesshomaru's smirk against her flesh.

"D-don't get cocky," she panted.

Sesshomaru chuckled and switched breasts, now giving his full attention to the other nipple. Kagome shivered. She brought her hands to run her hands through Sesshomaru's hair. He moaned against her skin as she paid particular attention to his scalp and then his ears. She traced the delicate shell with a light touch, enjoying feeling him twitch against her.

Letting go of her breast, Sesshomaru pushed up to level their faces once more. He retook her lips, licking lightly for her to open up and deepen it. Kagome continued to play with his hair until he finally pulled away. "What are you comfortable with, Kagome?" he asked, quietly.

Her was face was flushed in a rosey red that traveled down her neck and to the tops of her breasts. He reached a finger out and traced the length of the blush while he waited for her consent.

"If you're asking if I'm okay having sex with you, obviously."

"I'd rather have a straight answer than make my own assumptions."

"Thank you," she said, gasping as he began to pay with her nipples again. "And yes, I'm very much okay with it. Though, If you're also asking if I'm a virgin - well no, I'm not. But I wouldn't say I have a lot of experience."

"Take it slow?"

"At our own speed; whatever works for both of us."

Sesshomaru looked back up at her. "Tell me what you like or don't like, okay?"

"Only if you'll do the same."

He leaned down and paused right above her lips so they were barely touching. "I love it when you play with my ears," he whispered.

She giggled, moving her hands again, but he pulled away completely. He crawled backwards off the bed, throwing his hair over his shoulders as he did so.

"I have a hair tie on my vanity if you want to grab it," she said, watching him with half-hooded eyes.

"Thanks," he said, rushing over to grab it then pull his hair up in a low bun. Kagome watched him the entire way. When he made it back to the bed, he bent over, grabbed her ankles, and pulled her towards the end of the bed. She laughed at the manhandling, then gasped as he knelt down on the area rug at the bottom of the bed to rest comfortably between her legs.

"Sesshomaru," she said quietly, her eyes wide.

"Just tell me what you like or don't like - best way to do that is be vocal."

She nodded mutely as he moved forward to begin kissing at her thighs.

Sesshomaru found the bed empty when he woke up. The second floor was quiet, but he could hear Kagome talking downstairs. Looking for his underwear, he pulled it on before jogging down the stairs to find where Kagome had gone.

She looked up with a smile, her skin still slightly flushed from earlier, her hand holding her phone up to her ear. "Yeah, this is the same kid I talked to you about a couple months ago. You'd love him, mom. He's as sweet as he can be."

Her mom said a few things, leaving Kagome to laugh a little. Sesshomaru made his way around the kitchen, putting on some coffee, then opening her fridge and freezer for some edible foods. He frowned at her lack of options.

"What's that look for?" she asked, pulling the phone so she wasn't speaking directly into the microphone.

"You're going to have to start stocking your fridge and pantry with decent food. I'll be glad to teach you how to cook some healthy basics for when I'm not available to help out."

Kagome's smile was radiant as she jumped from her chair and rushed to him. Not caring that her mother was obviously still talking to her, she threw both arms, phone still in one hand, around his neck and jumped. They lost themselves in a kiss again, Kagome's legs wrapped around Sesshomaru's hips until Kagome eventually pulled back upon hearing her mom yelling into the phone. Sesshomaru placed her on the counter as she turned her attention back to the phone and apologized.

"Okay, okay. Hold on," she said. "You're on speaker now. You can talk to him."

"Sesshomaru, right?" Kagome's mother said.

He gave Kagome an amused look and bent down a little, towards the phone, and answered. "That would be me. It's a pleasure to meet you - or talk to you at least, Mrs. Higurashi."

The older woman made some sort of noise that didn't appear to be negative. "How very polite. I wish I could say I know more about you, but my daughter makes me pry the information out of her. I have to get most of my news from my spy."

"I think it's Sango," Kagome stage whispered.

"I'm not telling."

"See, not a no."

Sesshomaru chuckled, leaning forward, and kissing her on her forehead.

"Now, Sesshomaru, what do you think of Kagome fostering?"

"I think Shippo means a lot to her, as does giving him a loving home."

"Hm, but what do _you_ think about it."

"I'm playing it by ear, I suppose. Not something I do very well. I'm a planner by nature. But if there is anything I trust it's Kagome's decisions, because I know she thinks things through carefully and logically. And I know she'll do a great job because, not only is she a truly loving person, she's also stubborn to a fault and will refuse to give up."

"Hey," Kagome objected, hitting him in his arm.

He laughed, stepping back a little to get out of her range. She stuck her tongue out at him before jumping down, putting her phone on the counter.

"Well at least you seem to know our Kagome pretty well," her mother quipped.

Kagome made a face at her phone, before walking across the room to where she kept her takeout menus and brought them over to where Sesshomaru still was. She set them down on the counter for him to look through.

"You said you don't know the timeline?"

"Nope. I scanned and emailed Yasu my application today. He's going to get everything submitted tomorrow morning. I'm going to spend the weekend getting the house ready; they'll have to do an inspection. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha said they would help get Shippo's room ready, and Yasu said he would come over too and use that as his house inspection for the application. That will speed up some things, hopefully."

"Would you still have room for guests when Shippo moves in?"

"Yeah," Kagome replied suspiciously.

"Good. Once you know when you'll get him, your grandfather and I will plan a weekend trip to come visit. That way we can meet both Shippo and Sesshomaru at the same time."

Kagome looked over to Sesshomaru with a worried smile. He reached over to cup her cheek, hoping he looked encouraging. Going back to the menus, he let her finish her conversation with her mom as he looked at their options. Picking up a Greek option, he looked through the notated menu. Kagome had starred their gyro option twice.

"Well that was fun," she said as she hung up.

"When did you email in your application?"

"While you were asleep," she said, a blush creeping over her cheeks. "Yasu must still be working because he got back to me pretty quick."

"Your mother seems pretty positive about this fostering thing."

"She's cautiously excited. I think she just sees this as a way to have a grandchild to spoil earlier than expected."

He chuckled a little, handing her the Greek menu. "This place okay? Looks like they're opened late."

"Yeah. What do you want?"

"Seems like you're recommending the gyro."

"What sides? You get two."

"You choose."

"Righto."

"I'm going to run back to my house for a second, okay?"

She nodded, already dialing the restaurant's number in her phone. She stopped him right before he left. "It's fine if you want to bring an overnight bag."

Sesshomaru waved that he heard as he left through the front door. He noticed Kouga's car in his driveway, behind Inuyasha's, and walked in expecting the two to be rambunctiously playing a game or watching something on TV. Instead, he found them quietly talking on the couch, the TV on some random replay of an old college football game. They both looked up, surprised, as he entered.

"That was a long dinner," Inuyasha said.

"We never made it."

"Then where have you been?"

One of Sesshomaru's brows rose elegantly as he let a smirk creep over his face. "Her place."

Kouga coughed into his drink, looking at Sesshomaru with a cloudy face. "You better be serious about her."

"I'm glad we have thick walls between the two houses."

"Me too," Sesshomaru agreed. "Are you two free this weekend?"

"Kagome need help?"

"Yeah. Her friend is going to come help too, using it as an inspection. So all hands on deck would be useful."

"Count me and my cousins in. We even have a special surprise to donate," Kouga said.

"I filled him in earlier," Inuyasha explained.

"Can you text Miroku too? He'll tell Sango and she can round up the rest of the troops."

"Good idea," he said, turning around and reaching for his phone on the coffee table.

"Thanks. Let's plan for an early start - 7am? I'll have some breakfast items ready for everyone."

"Sure. I'll pay for pizza when we're done too; we can all take a break over here so we don't mess up her place."

Sesshomaru reached out and squeezed Inuyasha's shoulder in thanks before pushing off the couch. "Thanks in advance. You'll both make this go a lot quicker."

He flew up his own stairs to the master bedroom and straight into the closet. He had a small duffle he kept at the top of the closet. Grabbing it, he began to fill it with clothes for the next day and several more spares for different occasions. He topped off the pack with his spare toiletries. Socks, underwear, and shoes were the last added. Friday's were casual for him, so he didn't need to bring a suit, but at the last minute he decided to grab one, a shirt and tie to go with it, and a pair of dress shoes. He took it all downstairs once he was certain he had everything.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to Kagome's."

"Your taking clothes with you?"

"Yeah. Just to have something over there so I don't have to go back and forth constantly."

Inuyasha hummed. "I'm locking up after you then."

"That's fine. Goodnight you two."

"Yeah, good night."


	12. Chapter 12

Kagome took a deep breath. Yasu was bringing Shippo over to her house that afternoon to officially introduce her as his foster parent. She had cleaned her house top to bottom - twice. Scrubbed his new bathroom and gotten his new room ready with the basics.

Yasu had agreed to bring him over early in the morning so they could spend the majority of Saturday picking out everything for his new space and then relaxing and getting to know each other on a less teacher-student manner on Sunday. Sesshomaru had already volunteered to cook for them on Sunday in a little cookout.

A legion of friends and well-meaning acquaintances had helped get her house ready for Shippo. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kouga had taken it upon themselves to move the bunk bed from Sango's house to hers. Sesshomaru's other neighbor had donated a desk, a shelf, and a kid-sized armchair that their youngest son had outgrown. Inuyasha had even picked out some decorations that a little boy might enjoy and gotten a few toys as a gifts.

Kouga surprised them all by bringing over a wooden playset for her backyard. He had explained that he grew up in a big family but even the youngest had outgrow the set. They installed it in the middle of the yard, it being almost completely the length of the thin, long yard. They had even gone to get mulch and put it around the little designated play area to keep everyone safe.

There was a knock on the door and Kagome rushed forward, pulling it open with shaking hands. Sesshomaru stood there with a knowing smile. Kagome let out a deep breath and stepped aside to let him in. He dipped down to give her a kiss.

Yasu had managed to cut down her wait time for two weeks. There weren't any open spots near the H childcare center and Yasu had managed to get his bosses to agree that removing Shippo from everything he found familiar was a bad idea, which they had agreed with, and that had left an opening for him to rush through her application. She had been given a crash course of one of the fostering classes, with Sesshomaru at her side. Yasu had recommended him join her on the informational meetings and further explained that he should be introduced to Shippo as soon as possible. It was Sesshomaru who had suggested greeting him with her.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm exhausted and nervous and stopping myself from going and cleaning up this place again just because I need something to do. Why am I like this? I know Shippo. He knows me. This should be easy."

Sesshomaru cupped her cheek, tracing her cheekbone with his thumb. "Big heart, remember? The downside of caring so much, I think."

"You think?"

"Well, it's the only reason I can think that I'm feeling just as nervous. I care about you too much."

Kagome's heart fluttered and she flushed with happiness. "Why do you always look calm?"

"Because I've been raised to not show emotions. It's hard for people to manipulate you if they can't read you. Better for business."

"Your dad is just weird."

"He raised me as he was raised, I'm afraid."

Kagome just shook her head. Togo definitely seemed very different from Sesshomaru and it was hard to think they could act the same. "Haven't seen him come back around recently. Did he finally give up on me?"

"No idea. Inuyasha, in his tactful way, may have let loose at our last dinner with him that you and I are dating now. He probably is just sitting back and watching for now."

"How 'tactful' was he?"

"You don't want to know."

Kagome closed her eyes and then sighed deeply. "He didn't just randomly blurt out that we were sleeping together, did he?"

When she opened her eyes she saw him looking chagrined. "It wasn't random. He was asking how you were and kept pestering us for details until finally Inuyasha had enough. As misguided as the delivery might have been, I think he was trying to protect you."

"Uggh," Kagome groaned, arching back and walking into the living room. She folded over the back of the couch and screamed into the bottom stayed there breathing harshly, jumping when she felt two hands on her hips. Sesshomaru leaned forward, blanketing her own body with his, and whispering into her ear. "Interesting pose. Wish we had time to explore it more."

"Mmm," Kagome agreed, pushing back against him a bit, grinding her butt into his hips and enjoying his low groan. They were interrupted by the door. Kagome tried to stand up immediately, hitting Sesshomaru's face with the back of her head, apologizing to him as they stood up and adjusted themselves.

Kagome raised up and kissed the spot she had hit and told him to wait here. The bell rang again, and Kagome straightened her clothes again, then running her fingers through her hair, before she opened the door with a smile.

Yasu was there with that gentle smile he always had on his face while working. Kagome went from to him to Shippo who was standing next to him with a backpack, a pillow, and stuffed fox in his arms. A large trash bag was on the walkway behind the two of them. "Shippo," she greeted quietly.

He looked up at her, measuring her to the person he knew at school, then dropped everything to fling himself at her. She immediately dipped down and took him in her arms, letting him bury himself into his chest. "Welcome home," she whispered into his wild, red hair. His hold on her only got tighter.

Yasu just stood in the doorway, waiting for the two to finish up their greeting. He grabbed the bag and brought it into the house when they finally moved into the living room. Sesshomaru stood leaning against the back of the couch, his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. He looked normal except for the slight, nervous movements of his hands within his pockets. Kagome gave him a sympathetic smile. "Yasu, Shippo, this is Sesshomaru."

Shippo frowned a bit, still holding on to Kagome's hand as they walked. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"He is."

"Does he live here?"

"I live next door actually, with my brother Inuyasha."

Shippo seemed to consider this then nodded, deciding all that was interesting about Sesshomaru had been learned, and turned to look around the living room. Yasu put down the bag and explained it was all the belongings of Shippo's that he was able to keep from his grandmother's property. There wasn't much left, it seemed, she had been selling things to make ends meet for a while, but some of his clothes and toys where in there and Yasu had taken it upon himself to grab paperwork and family personal items - like picture albums and the such - and put it into a storage unit he used for cases like these.

"Wanna see your room?" Sesshomaru asked as Yasu and Kagome talked over a few things.

Shippo nodded slowly and cautiously followed him as they moved towards the door to the little under stair room. "I'm going to live in a cupboard under the stairs like Harry Potter?" Shippo asked in an excited whisper.

"Well, not so much a cupboard, but a room," Sesshomaru said. He opened the door and let Shippo go in first. Sesshomaru watched him as his eyes went round. He looked very small for his age though he couldn't tell if that might be because of his clothes that were threadbare and severely oversized. Shippo looked up at him with disbelief. "Are you sure this is mine?"

"Yup. We brought in those bunk beds just for you. Though, I believe Kagome has a trip planned for the two of you to pick out bedding and stuff in a bit."

"Can I choose a bed?"

"They're both yours, so definitely."

Shippo ran to the bed and climbed up on the blocky stairs. It was probably a bit too big for the small room, but it seemed to make him very happy. He rolled around on the top bunk, then dropped down to the bottom, larger bunk and rolled around on it too. "There's another surprise for you outback. One of Kagome's friends brought you a special treat."

"Really? What is it?"

"You'll have to come outside to see."

They left the room together, Sesshomaru waiting for Shippo to come to his side before leading him to the backyard. The moment they came in sight of the backyard through the sliding door, Shippo's intake of breath was audible. He ran to the door and waited for Sesshomaru to open it, then ran to the playground as fast as his little legs could take him. He threw himself into one of the swings and immediately began to pump his legs to get higher. They had tested out the equipment with full grown men and found it took a lot of effort to make it move or jolt, so he wasn't worried about the exuberant, undersized boy overturning the heavy, wooden play set. Kagome and Yasu came out to the back deck to watch him as he happily swung.

"That's pretty amazing," Yasu said.

"It was a gift from a friend. I'm glad it seems he's going to like it."

Sesshomaru and Yasu both looked at her who was happily watching Shippo get higher and higher on the swings. She had watched him on the playground when he first arrived, as she did with most new arrivals, to make sure he was adjusting in okay. He was a child born to play and his excitement to do so often made other's just as excited.

"I don't' think that was what he was referring to," Sesshomaru said quietly.

"Huh?" Kagome looked over to Sesshomaru to Yasu, still a bit confused.

"I'm going to let you have him now. We've gone over all the details, you have my number, and we'll go from there. Call me if you have any problems. He'll be due for another counselor visit next month, but call me if you think he needs one sooner. He seems to adjust pretty easily, but he might just hide his feelings well and that can be self-destructive. You have a unique position to see him in different environments, so you can pick up on any warnings signs earlier than most. My advice though, create a professional and personal persona for him. It might be easier on him at school. And don't let him cling too much to you while you're at work. It'll get exhausting for you, could cause some social problems with his classmates who think you're favoring him, and just general social reasons. I know you know all this though. You do very little without a lot of researching beforehand."

"In this case, it was a lot of talking to my mom. She's already excited to meet him. She and my grandfather are coming down at the end of the month to meet Shippo," she paused to send a look to Sesshomaru - obviously she was coming to meet him too.

"Like I said, call me for anything."

"I will. Thank you."

Yasu shook her hand, then reached behind her to shake Sesshomaru's. He palmed him one of his cards too and Sesshomaru quietly pocketed it. "I'll see myself out. Have a good weekend."

He stopped to shout a good-bye to Shippo who slowed down his swinging to wave at Yasu. He called to Kagome to watch him swing more, she encouraged him to continue. Sesshomaru stepped a bit closer and put an arm around her shoulder. "I can do this," she said to herself.

"Never doubt yourself," he added. "And if you do, come to me. I'll try my best to take away your doubts."

Kagome looked up at him and moved to wrap him into a hug. "I love you," she whispered into his chest and she felt his heart speed up.

He bent down to kiss the top of her head, a mumbled "love you too" was just barely overhead from the racing of both of their hearts.

Kagome and Shippo had decided to spend the night doing things on their own, which Sesshomaru encouraged. He had given the little boy a hug, and Kagome a kiss, and left them to their own devices - pizza and movies if he heard correctly - while he joined Inuyasha, Kouga, and Miroku at a pub at a little shopping center just outside their little neighborhood. It was usually packed and tonight was no different - being a Saturday night - but Miroku had managed to grab them a corner booth at the back of the building. He slid in next to Kouga, giving him a nod as a greeting, with a sigh.

"How is the kid?" Inuyasha asked.

"He's going to be fine. Loved his room and spent an hour on the playset."

"Well obviously he's going to be fine," Inuyasha said with a roll of his eyes. "He's got Kagome taking care of him."

"I'm glad he likes the playset," Kouga added. "I know my parents will love to hear that it's being played on again instead of just rotting from disuse in someone's backyard."

"Thank them again from us, please."

"Us?" all three men said with a roar of laughter. "Claiming to be part of her little family already."

It was meant to be a bit of a tease, but Sesshomaru's face remained a bit off. They stared at him trying to figure out what it was that was different until Inuyasha finally caved and asked what his problem was. A waitress came up and asked for his order and he asked for a stout beer and one of their bison burgers and sat back. He didn't say anything until his beer was there and he took a deep taste of it, emptying a third of it in one go.

"Okay, you don't drink like that ever, you're starting to scare me. Are you freaking out because your girlfriend is now a foster mom?"

"I don't want her to be my girlfriend," he admitted to an angry cry from two of the men at the table. "I want her to be my wife."

That silenced them all and they all stared at her in surprise. "A-are you serious?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes. I realized it this afternoon. She's the one I want to marry and, to be honest, that has me scared shitless."

"Wow - Sesshomaru cussing. Probably the only time we'll hear that," Miroku said. He lifted up his glass and held it out in front of him in a toast. "To Sesshomaru."

The others reluctantly joined Miroku in a toast. "Are you going to tell dad?"

"I'll have to eventually. I have to figure out the timing of this all. I don't want to overwhelm her now that she's taken on a new responsibility of raising a child. Plus, her family is coming own at the end of the month and I should probably make sure they don't hate me."

"Just don't let them meet dad and you'll be fine," Inuyasha said.

"And you'll need to find a ring," Kouga pointed out.

"Talk to Sango if you want extra help. She can keep a secret and could be a useful source of info."

Sesshomaru nodded a bit, thinking things over until he agreed with Miroku and got Sango's number from him to call her in coming weeks. Their food came out and things switched focus to their food and whatever was on the TVs around them. Inuyasha kept sending him confused looks during the meal but didn't say anything else. Kouga switched the conversation to Miroku's own nuptials. He and Sango had been engaged for over a year and still the two hadn't set a date. "It's her, I promise. She's always being wishy-washy when it comes to finalizing arrangements," he complained. "Took me years to just get her to agree to marry me."

"It'd probably help if you didn't still hit on every woman around you," Inuyasha suggested.

Miroku shook his head, his face going serious a bit. "No, this is a bit of a commitment issue thing. Kohaku, her brother, and I commiserate a lot. She keeps too tight a grip on him for the same reason she tries to keep me at a certain distance. It's frustrating."

Miroku picked up his newly delivered beer, sipping at it while checking out the waitress' ass as she left. They all rolled their eyes, even Sesshomaru as the alcohol was finally mellowing him out a bit. "What about you?" Miroku said to Kouga. "That Ayame girl you brought to the BBQ a few months back. She seemed to really dig you. D'you ever follow up on that?"

Kouga shrugged a little, shooting a look to Inuyasha who also shrugged. "She's quite a big younger than I am. She's very pretty, and very nice, and her attention is flattering as hell to my ego, but she's not very mature and I find her grating on my nerves at time. Plus, well - I just don't think dating is going to be my thing for a time now."

His shoulders were a bit hunched over his plate and drink but he didn't go any further in explanations. Eventually he looked over to Sesshomaru and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're one lucky asshole, by the way."

Inuyasha snorted and nodded his agreement. "You might want to bring her to our next family dinner," he mentioned. "She needs to know the bullshit she's getting into if she marries into our family."

"She's already met dad, remember?"

"I'm not talking about his ridiculous personality and flirting. I'm talking about his insistence to live this cut throat, hoity toity lifestyle. It's going to be yours eventually; he's already hounding on you to live like that anyway. You think Kagome would be comfortable in that lifestyle anymore than I am?"

"Am I comfortable in that lifestyle? Because I believe it was me who moved out first."

"But it's you who has to take over everything."

Sesshomaru felt his buzz drain from him a bit. He let out a deep sigh, signaled the waitress and asked her for some water, then looked back to Inuyasha. "The one thing that has always frustrated me about you is this all one way or the other personality. It's a very black and white existence. II can see how you got it and there are lot of people in our father's circle that look at the world the same way. But it's naive and close-minded to not look beyond that to the shades of grey - the rainbow of colours that exists beyond what a society based off of money alone - and see what can be happen if you compromise and bend the rules to you instead of rejecting or accepting them as a whole."

"I'm surprised you ever came to that conclusion," Miroku said. "I always felt of the two of you, you were the one who didn't differentiate the world beyond black and white."

"It took me until college to realize what I had missed out due to my sheltered education, then another a few more years after that to start implementing changes in myself. That's why I moved out of father's house. I didn't want to live the life he wanted me to live. Oddly," he paused. "I got the idea to do that all that from you, Inuyasha. Because you always went in your own direction regardless. But I realized after you moved in that you did that out of spite, ego, and stubbornness, not because it was necessarily the best thing to do."

Silence took over the table and Sesshomaru took in a deep breath. The waitress brought his water and he asked for their checks, indicating he would put them all on his bill.

"You should be saving up your money, you have an engagement ring to buy soon," Miroku said in a weak protestation of his paying for all their meals.

"It's fine. I'm feeling generous today and you've had to deal with my panic attack that has left me way more verbose than I prefer to be. I thank you for not teasing me during it, though I won't hold it against you if you do so later."

Inuyasha was looking down to the table, his hands gripping the edge of the table so hard his hands were white. Sesshomaru didn't say anything else to him, only having casual, mundane conversation with the other two men as he waited to pay the bill.

"Are you okay to drive?" Inuyasha eventually asked when Sesshomaru replaced the card in his wallet and got up to leave.

"I'm fine. Be careful on your way home. Okay?"

"Are you heading home?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Yeah. I think I want to go to bed early. We've got a cookout tomorrow, remember?"

Inuyasha nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

Kagome was sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop and some paperwork set out in front of her. She was going through her finances and looking at a few online school programs that Yasu had suggested. Shippo was currently playing in his room, his door open so that Kagome just needed to look up to check on him. The weather had turned cold and rainy late last night and had held that way. Kagome tried to get her mom to cancel their plans for the weekend, worried about them coming to visit in the weather, but both her mother and grandfather would hear none of it. They were coming in a few hours to meet Sesshomaru and Shippo.

Sesshomaru was currently in her kitchen making lunch. The earliest prep work for the dinner he was cooking was already done. "I'm glad I decided to change the menu last minute," Sesshomaru admitted, looking out the back window. The rain looked to be calming some.

"What are we having?" Kagome asked, looking over to him with a smile. "I probably should have asked that long before now."

He laughed a little and looked back to the pan where was making grilled cheeses. He flipped it to brown on the other side. "I was going to do something fairly fancy - pull out all my cooking and foodie skills - but Inuyasha helped change my mind"

"Mmm, my family would have liked whatever, to be honest. What did you choose?"

"Hotpot."

Kagome's whole body perked up, she reached forward to her laptop and closed it immediately. "What kind of hotpot?" she asked with anticipation.

Sesshomaru tried to hide his grin as he took off the grilled cheese. "Shippo, lunch is ready," he called.

He cut the sandwich into triangles, then grabbed a little crock and filled it with the creamy, potato soup he had prepared with it (both Shippo and Kagome hated tomato soup, he had found out). He added a bit of bacon crumbles he had cooked earlier and just a pinch of shredded cheese on top of the soup. He then put a soup spoon into the crock and put it on the plate with the grilled cheese. Shippo was already by his side bouncing as he tried to look over the counter. "Grab a seat," he told Shippo. "I'll bring it to you. Grab a napkin as you go."

Sesshomaru took a moment to put on another grilled cheese before picking up Shippo's plate and bringing it to the table. He put it down in front of Shippo, already ready with his napkin in his lap as his grandmother had always told him he was supposed to do, and he began to dig into his sandwich first.

Sesshomaru liked how much Shippo seemed to enjoy his cooking; as did Kagome. He walked to her side, her face still bright with curiosity. He leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Udon," he whispered, pulling back quickly and retreating to the kitchen as Kagome spasmed with delight at her favorite meal. She fell out of the chair, practically, trying to run after Sesshomaru. She jumped onto him, hugging his neck, as Sesshomaru easily held her up and accepted her excitement and peppered kisses. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Shippo was watching curiously, his green eyes dancing with delight at seeing Kagome acting so silly. Sesshomaru put her down when it was time to flip the grilled cheese. Kagome staying in the kitchen, leaning on the counter, and watching everything cook.

"How is it?" Sesshomaru asked Shippo, realizing he was barely eating to watch them.

This jolted Shippo back to his meal and he picked up his half-eaten sandwich and continued to nipple on it while watching them. When the next sandwich was done, Sesshomaru repeated the same serving process, this time handing it to Kagome to take to the table herself. She reached up and planted a loud kiss on his cheek, thanking him. Shippo, realizing he hadn't thanked Sesshomaru for his food either, shouted his own thanks for the table. "You're both welcome," he replied.

Kagome moved to the table with her food and sat down next to Shippo, away from her stuff on the kitchen table. Shippo had moved to the other part of his sandwich, dipping it into the soup sometimes. Kagome started with her soup, stirring around to incorporate the toppings. The bit of shredded cheese started melting immediately leaving behind the stringy, fun bits.

Sesshomaru joined them not long after once his own lunch was done cooking and sat across from Kagome. They ate in silence with just the quiet sound of classical music in the background. The adults ate at a more sedate pace than Shippo who was slurpring his soup, sandwich done, before too long.

"Be careful, Shippo," Sesshomaru warned. "There are chunks of potato in that; you'll choke if you slurp too much."

The slurping stopped and he ate it quickly but silently. "When should we expect your family?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Not too long. Late afternoon. I've already cleaned the guest room and my room for them to sleep in."

"Where will you sleep?" Shippo asked.

"On the couch."

Shippo looked at the couch then back at her. "But then where with Sesshomaru sleep? He won't share your room with whoever sleeps in there, will he?"

Both adults choked. "I'll be at my house," Sesshomaru eventually answered as he got his throat clear.

Shippo frowned then he looked over at Kagome. "D-don't go and sleep over there without me, okay?"

Kagome's heart wrenched. "I'll be here on the couch, I promise."

He began to play with his soup, his good mood dissolving in a reflection of the weather outside. Kagome took another couple of bites of her sandwich before standing and stepping away from the table. "I know, how about we watch a movie for a bit? I could use a break and I feel like curling up in a blanket. How about it?"

Shippo nodded slowly. He was bright enough to recognize the tactic to distract him. They both took their dishes into the kitchen, Kagome's still half-uneaten. She found that this happened a lot. Barely eaten meals to see to Shippo's needs. That, combined with a bug she was having trouble shaking, was causing her to lose a lot of weight, which was concerning more than just Sesshomaru. She had already agreed to go to the doctor next week. She reached down and picked up Shippo, who immediately clung to her, and they walked over to the couch.

Sesshomaru was finishing his own meal with a frown on his face. He paused to grab a blanket out of one of the storage cubes beneath the coffee table and laid it on top of Kagome and Shippo as they settled on the chaise part of the couch with the remotes. Seeing them comfortable, he then went into the kitchen to clean up and check on the broth he had simmering in a slow cooker. He had alarms set on his phone on when to add what each ingredient so everything came together perfectly cooked by the time of dinner time.

Everything clean, he walked over to the chaise, turned off the lamp next to the couch leaving only the light from the kitchen to illuminate the room, and then snuck in behind Kagome so he was between her and the couch. He laid on his side, letting his long legs stretch out, and snuck an arm around Kagome's hips. He let himself relax against her.

The next thing Sesshomaru knew, he was being jerked awake by his alarm. There were groans from the two people in front of him, and he reached into his pocket to turn it off. He apologized to Kagome, kissing her temple, before squeezing out. He adjusted the blanket to cover Kagome and Shippo better, having half-dragged it off them when he stood up, then went into the kitchen to continue preparations for their later meal. He had already chopped up most of the vegetables while making the dashi broth earlier, so he simply transferred the broth he would need (he had learned long ago that things like broth were best made in large batches that could be used over several meals - mostly because it took a lot of time and effort to make them) into the hotpot ceramic bowl and began to put in the first of the vegetables. These were basically the hard, root vegetables that would need to stew for the longest time. He had made fresh flat bread the day before, Inuyasha and he had had curry for dinner, and he had brought the leftovers. Not traditional, but having a good bread to dip into broth was always nice.

He moved to the table where Kagome's things were still strewn about. He carefully shut folders and notebooks, stacking them together in a needlessly gentle manner as if they were breakable, then moving it - and her laptop - to a small buffet table behind the chair she had been sitting on. The hotpot dish he had was electric and would need to be plugged in. He would use the same outlet Kagome used for her laptop's power cord and made sure to angle the chairs so that cord would have a wide berth around it. He then went and started getting out the dishes they would need, careful to keep them from making too much noise. A plate and a bowl each and silverware, including stainless steel chopsticks, were all put out with napkins. He got out glasses next and put them on the counter to fill later.

He checked his phone for the time. He could go and lay back down, but he'd still have to get up soon after. Instead, he decided to just go and take a shower and change. He leaned over to check on Kagome. She roused herself a little to look up at him. "I have the soup simmering on low. I'm going to go take a shower."

"Mine or yours?"

"Mine. I don't have a change of clothes with me." He had made sure to take all of his things home when they were cleaning the house for her family's visit.

"What time is it?"

Sesshomaru looked at the little LED clock she kept under the TV and read off the time. Kagome groaned. "I should probably go ahead and take a shower too and get Shippo ready."

"Well, just remember that the soup is simmering. You won't need to do anything else with it. I'll be back in plenty of time to add the next bit to the soup."

"Mmm, kay."

"Do you need help getting up?"

"Yes please," came her melodic reply.

He reached over and managed to get both arms under her body and pull up a bit, making sure not to bring Shippo with him. He set her down on her feet on his side of the couch, the full length of her body against his. "Awake?"

"No."

He leaned down and kissed her, sucking at her lips, and pulling her body up against his. He pulled away eventually and asked again. "Awake?"

"Yes."

He smiled at her, though her eyes seemed a little glazed still. Stepping back, he made sure she was standing on her own feet, then gave her a quick, chaste kiss. "I'll be right back."

He walked out of the door, locking it behind him, then jogged over to his own house. Inuyasha had left it unlocked and he walked in to find him and Kouga on the couch playing a video game. "Hey," they both said to him as he walked by. "What are you doing back? I thought you were doing the whole adult husband-parent thing?" Inuyasha asked further.

"I'm taking a shower and changing. I'd invite the two of you over to eat with us, since you claim to be Kagome's friends and this is her family, but I didn't make enough for both your bottomless pits to eat too."

Inuyasha flicked him off. Neither of them bothered to look away from the TV. Sesshomaru took the stairs two at a time and walked into his room, pushing the door shut with his foot, then stripping while heading to the bathroom. He took as little time as he could in the shower. It would take him forever to dry his hair, even with a blowdryer to help.

Once cleaned and his hair mostly dry, he changed into a dark pair of jeans and a cream, ribbed sweater. He played with his hair a few times before he ended up grabbing a hair tie and folding up into a messy bun at the nape of his neck. Taking in a deep breath, he left the bathroom surprised to see Inuyasha sitting on his bed.

"You should just go ahead and give me this room, you know? You're never here anymore and it's a waste for you to have two master suites."

"I'll be here for the weekend while her family is visiting."

"Ah, so you have to keep up that 'we're not married so obviously we haven't done anything', exterior?"

Sesshomaru just shook his head a little. "Is anyone else coming over tonight? Or is it just you and Kouga?"

"Just us. Kouga had a fight with his family and needed a place to stay for a few days. I was hoping you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not. If I'm not using my bedroom, you're welcome to jump in here so he can have a bed instead of the couch."

Inuyasha grunted, his eyes going to where his feet were shuffling with a sheep-skinned rug that stayed at the foot of Sesshomaru's bed. Sesshomaru just observed him, but didn't press anything. There was something else going on, but it would only make Inuyasha clam up more if he tried to push it more. As long as wasn't endangering anyone, it would be okay.

"I was just joking earlier. You two are welcome to come join us, if you'd like. We're having Udon. I made a pretty generous portion because it's Kagome's favorite and I wanted to have leftovers."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Thanks. If you need someone to vouch that you aren't a total asshole, just call and I'll charm the pants off her family for you," he looked back up. "I think Kouga is ordering the entire menu of China Palace - including the Thai section, which I will not be eating - so I think we're good."

"We're going to be eating Chinese leftovers for weeks, aren't we?"

"Probably."

"I don't think I'll be over very late today. Kagome said her family keeps pretty early hours, so I have a feeling I'll be heading back this way around 9 or 10."

"I'll leave the door open for you."

"Don't drink too much."

"Not drinking anything, actually." Inuyasha smacked his stomach. "Cutting back. Not good for the liver, not good for the stomach. I don't really like most drinks anyway, so why waste the calories when I could be digging into delicious food instead?"

"Like the entire fried menu of a cheap, Chinese delivery restaurant?"

"Exactly."

Sesshomaru shook his head, laughing at his brother. Inuyasha was watching him. "You've mellowed out a lot," he commented. "Kagome's been really good for you."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Any luck on the ring hunt yet?"

"Nope. I think I may get something made."

"You would."

He stood up and clapped Sesshomaru on his bicep. They left the room and went back downstairs. Kouga was back on the couch, the game still paused, sipping on a sports drink. Inuyasha jumped over the couch, snatching up his discarded controller. "Have fun. See you later."

"Thanks. Don't eat yourself into a coma. And please don't let Inuyasha eat any of the Thai food, Kouga. It does unpleasant things to him."

"Shut the fuck up, Sesshomaru. Go do your family thing."

"You're still part of my family, remember?"

He waved at them quickly and walked back out of the door. By the time he unlocked Kagome's door, and walked in, he found Kagome nervously cleaning again, with Shippo watching a kid's show on the TV with his stuffed animal. They were both showered and changed. She was now wearing soft, grey leggings under a long, green sweater dress that Sesshomaru loved on her. The whole outfit he loved. The leggings were soft to the touch, great for teasing her, and the sweater dress hugged her body. He came up behind her and encircled her waist and put a kiss on her neck. Kagome giggled nervously, swatting at his arms to let her go. "None of that now," she warned.

He pulled away with a husky laugh and let her get away from his hold. She turned around and gave him a look over; her flushed cheeks telling him that she approved of the look. He then went into the kitchen. "Have you heard from them yet?"

"Yup. Right after I got out of the shower. They were about an hour way then. So probably thirty to forty five left now."

Sesshomaru did a quick calculation in his head and added some of the other ingredients in the simmering stock. Soups, regardless of the kind, usually tasted the best when given time to steep and soak up all the flavors. He tasted a bit of it, nodding, then putting everything down and walked back into the living room. The waiting part would now be the hardest.

By the time the doorbell rang, the three had finally settled down in their own rooms. Kagome immediately jumped up, pulled down her dress, then ran to the door. Sesshomaru moved the electric hotpot to the table. He checked the lid to make sure it was on tight. While Buyo tended to avoid him, whenever food was around he sometimes got underfoot in hopes of getting a scrap or too. The lid was necessary, Sesshomaru had figured out the hard way, to keep Buyo from sneaking a snack.

As Sesshomaru moved closer to the couch, to greet Kagome's family, Shippo moved to stand by his side. He reached over and wrapped a hand around Sesshomaru's leg. "You'll be fine," Sesshomaru whispered.

Green eyes framed by messy red hair looked up at him. Sesshomaru nodded at him and Shippo nodded back. "You'll be fine too," Shippo replied.

"I brought you some tea," an elderly man's voice said.

"Thank you grandpa, you always know where to find the best tea blends."

"He gets them at the supermarket," a woman's voice said. The man sputtered and loudly objected.

The woman walked out of the foyer and into the living room with purpose. She stopped when she saw Sesshomaru and Shippo, her hands instantly coming to her hips. "Well you two must be Sesshomaru and Shippo."

Sesshomaru spoke for the both of them. "It's a pleasure to finally get to meet you, Mrs. Higurashi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. Please call me Rumiko," she switched her focus to Shippo. "Though you, Shippo, can call me Nana."

He nodded a bit at her, an uncharacteristic shyness overtaking him, and held on a bit tighter to Sesshomaru's leg. Kagome and her grandfather came in next. He had a severe frown on his face as he looked Sesshomaru over. " _You_ can call me Mr. Higurashi," he told Sesshomaru, obviously not approving of the man in front of him.

"Dad, really?" Rumiko said, shaking her head.

"Grandpa, don't be like that," Kagome said.

The older man looked at his granddaughter and his features softened a bit. She smiled at him and bent forward to kiss him on his cheek. "I'll make you some of this tea to have with supper, is that okay?"

"Thank you, Kagome."

"I'll do it," Sesshomaru offered. He walked forward, thinking he would break Shippo's hold, but the little boy held on tightly and kept up with his pace. He took the large, cylindrical tin from Kagome. In exchange, she held out her hand to Shippo, who took it. He didn't let go of Sesshomaru's leg though.

"Shippo, why don't you let go of Sesshomaru so he can finish our dinner?"

"I can help him," he quietly added.

"You think you can get ice in the glasses for me?" Sesshomaru asked.

Shippo looked up and nodded vigorously.

"We know Mr. Higurashi would like tea; why don't you ask what everyone else would like."

Sesshomaru carefully reached down and extracted his leg from Shippo's grip. He excused himself to the kitchen and put on a kettle to boil water. He watched as Shippo, still holding on to Kagome's hand, asked each of the adult what they wanted to drink. Rumiko and Kagome shared a look, obviously the older woman falling as much in love with Shippo as her daughter already had. As soon as he had both their requests, he let go of Kagome's hand and practically ran to him in the kitchen.

"Kagome wants tea too and her mom wants water."

"Okay, that's three waters then. The tea doesn't need ice, so we only need three of those cups," he said pointing to the counter.

Shippo ran to the corner where a small step stool sat for him to use. He brought it over to the counter and walked up the two steps until he could reach the counters. "One at a time; both hands," Sesshomaru warned.

Shippo nodded, grabbing the first glass cup and stepped back down and took it to the fridge. It was the kind with a water and ice dispenser in the door. Shippo reached up and hit the ice button and held up the cup to press against the silicon pad. A crushing noise preceded the clink of ice hitting the glass. Sesshomaru watched as he switched over to the water dispenser and filled the glass. He followed Shippo's slow progress to take the first glass to the table.

Kagome and her mother were bringing in a few things from the car, chatting as they placed a few things in the living room then carrying some luggage upstairs. Mr. Higurashi made a wide berth around Shippo and came to stand next to Sesshomaru. He seemed to study the kettle as Shippo came in and grabbed the second glass and began the process again.

"I understand you live next door," the older man said. Again Sesshomaru got the impression that he didn't think much of him.

"I do, with my brother."

"Yes, Inuyasha. Souta, Kagome's brother, speaks highly of him. Made an impression when Kagome moved in. You," he turned to look at Sesshomaru. "He only mentioned in passing."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was quite impressed with Souta. He was hardly the only one helping her move, but he certainly took charge and got things done with expediency."

"Hm, yes. Fine head on his shoulders. He'll do well for himself, once he figures out what he wants."

Mr. Higurashi turned away as the kettle began to squeal. "Show me where everything is. I'll prepare the tea; I'm not sure you know how to make it properly."

Shippo had finished the second glass and was on his way with the third but stopped to look at the exchange. Sesshomaru stepped back, gave him a look to get him to finish his task, while he pulled out two simple tea mugs from Kagome's cabinet. He put them on the counter and left Mr. Higurashi to finish the tea as he walked Shippo to the table.

"He doesn't like us," Shippo whispered to Sesshomaru.

"He doesn't like me," Sesshomaru corrected. "He loves Kagome and is playing a part to make sure I'm good enough for her."

Shippo's big eyes blinked a few times. He cocked his head to one side, thinking a bit. "I think you're good enough for Kagome. You love her."

"That I do, kiddo." He reached down and pat his head.

Sesshomaru was learning that Shippo craved tactile attention and affection and tried to address those needs when they were interacting with each other. Kagome was quite the same.

The entire Higurashi family made their way to the table around the same time. They sat down, Shippo taking up the seat between Kagome and Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru pulled off the hotpot lid and a puff of steam escaped. Both Rumiko and Kagome made a noise of excitement. "This looks wonderful," Rumiko exclaimed.

"Thank you."

The fun thing about hotpots was that you could serve yourself at the table. Kagome picked up Shippo's bowl and put a generous portion of the various ingredients and broth before setting it down in front of him. Everyone else began to take their servings. Kagome patiently waited her chance, giving her family the first choice, though her legs didn't stop bouncing until it was her turn. Sesshomaru went last. As they ate, conversation was light and only the slurping of noodles and broth could really be heard.

"So tell us more about yourself," Rumiko asked, sitting back against the couch with a mug of coffee in hand.

Kagome was getting her grandfather another cup of tea and herself a cup of coffee too. Shippo had been allowed a bowl of ice cream, though he had to eat it at the table before joining the adults on the couch.

"I'm afraid I don't have too much to tell. I work for my father's company, T Enterprises. That and familial obligations - many of them related to the business - take up most of my time. I live next door with half-brother, Inuyasha, as you already know."

"T Enterprises is impressive. Isn't that one of the top companies in the country?" Rumiko asked.

"It is."

"A lot less impressive when he obviously got his job because of his father."

Both women objected to his cantekerous accusation.

"In a way, you're right. I was groomed from when I was a child to eventually take over for my father as the head of the company. Really, no expenses were too much when it came to my education and it was made abundantly clear that my succeeding in everything I did was the utmost important. I can list out all my schools for you, which I assure you are all prestigious and overly-expensive, and tell you I was at the top of my class from kindergarten through university, but I think it's all nonsense really. It may prove my qualifications for the position I hold, which I do have to defend on a regular basis for the very reason you've mentioned, but overall it doesn't do much to explain the type of person I am."

Mr. Higurashi stared at him for quite a bit, before breaking eye contact to take a sip of his tea. Rumiko shot a tight-lipped look to her father-in-law before looking back to Sesshomaru. "I assume that your father is still alive then?

"Alive and extremely well, thankfully. He's a bit of a character, as Kagome can attest."

"I lost count of the amount of times he hit on me," Kagome groaned, sitting down next to Sesshomaru finally.

Without thinking, Sesshomaru put an arm around her shoulder. He felt Kagome tense for a moment before relaxing back into their usual positions.

Rumiko seemed to find this amusing. "What about your mother?"

"She is also doing very well. She travels quite a bit, so I don't get to see her often. I talked to her the other day though and she's scheduled to be back in town in the next month or two."

"Is she in business too?"

"She's actually a Dr. Doctor."

"A what?" Kagome asked.

He realized he never talked a lot about his mother to Kagome. She wasn't there much for him growing up, so their relationship was less mother-son and more older sister-brother type. "She has a M.D. and Ph.D. So she's a doctor twice over though in completely different fields. Her Ph.D. is in anthropology."

"Is the part of Doctors Without Borders? Is that why she travels?"

"Not really, but she does help when help is needed. Mostly, she likes to research other cultures - past and present - and study their healing traditions then study to see how effective they might have been and if we could extrapolate any of the old traditions into modern pharmaceuticals or practices to help cure diseases."

"I...don't think I understand."

"She once explained to me, as a child, that we know that some natural remedies used in the past ended up having active elements that actually worked to treat symptoms of certain diseases they were prescribed for. She goes in and studies these old remedies and breaks them down to see if any of them actually work and if there is a way to make them more effective for modern use."

"Okay, I sort of understand that. Isn't that homeopathy?"

"It's starts in the same place, but she then takes it a bit further to apply scientific research to try and verify the claims.

"Sounds like you come from a very ambitious family," Rumiko said.

"That's probably the understatement of the century."

They all laughed a little, falling into small talk until Shippo joined them. He had retrieved his stuffed fox from his room and climbed up on the couch with it clutched in his arms. He sat close to Kagome and she reached out to put her own arm around him. "You want to do anything, Shippo? We could play a game until bedtime."

"Yeti in my Spaghetti?" Shippo asked.

"Can you go grab it?"

He left his fox on the couch as he jumped down and ran to his room where the small collection of board games were kept. Sesshomaru stood up and pushed the coffee table closer to the couch.

"It's basically pick up sticks," Kagome explained. "You put the 'spaghetti' in the bowl and then a little Yeti figure on top of them. Then everyone takes turns pulling a noodle. The person who makes the Yeti fall into the bowl loses."

"Why don't you two sit on the couch," Sesshomaru motioned to Rumiko and Mr. Higurashi. "The three of us can sit on the floor."

Mr. Higurashi moved to sit next to his daughter-in-law. Shippo ran in with the box and put it on the table. He and Sesshomaru began setting up the game, putting it near the edge of the table nearest the couch.

"Shippo," Kagome's grandfather said. "I'm afraid my old hands wouldn't be good at this game. Why don't you come sit with me and you and I can be a team?"

Kagome encouraged him to join the older man on the couch. She sat near them on the floor, Sesshomaru taking a spot across from her. They played three rounds before Shippo's attention began to wane. After Kagome lost, for the second time in a row, Shippo jumped off the couch again and ran to his room. He returned with his Marvel Match game. "Can we play this next?"

"Let's clean up this one first," Kagome said, helping him put away the first game, then set up the second.

"Can I get anyone a refill on their drinks?" Sesshomaru offered.

"Please," both Kagome and Rumiko answered.

Mr. Higurashi declined, giving his attention more are Shippo explained the simplistic rules. By the time Sesshomaru had returned with the two cups of coffee, Shippo, Mr. Higurashi, and Kagome were halfway through the first game with Shippo having a rather large pile of cards next to him. Rumiko had sat out. Sesshomaru sat next to her after handing off both mugs.

"This is probably just as good for dad as it is for Shippo," she joked quietly to Sesshomaru.

They laughed together as they watched the game proceed. When it was over, Shippo being the overwhelming winner, Sesshomaru offered to shuffle and set up the game once more.

"I don't feel like this is fair. I don't know who any of these characters are," Mr. Higurashi objected.

"I don't think that's the actual problem," Rumiko joked.

"I beg to differ. There are a lot of characters with red in their costumes. It all blends together if you don't know who they are."

"I can teach you who they are!" Shippo said. He moved over to next to Mr. Higurashi again as they began the second round.

It went much slower than the first and, as Shippo promised, he pointed out each character as it was flipped over going into lengthy detail about each superhero. It didn't appear to help Mr. Higurashi with the game, but to his credit, he at least feigned interest as the little boy jabbered on.

By the time it finally came to an end, Shippo and Mr. Higurashi were yawning. Even Rumiko was beginning to show exhaustion. "I think we should call it a night," Kagome suggested.

"Sounds good."

"Where is _he_ staying?" Mr. Higurashi asked, looking at Sesshomaru.

"I'll be heading home once I've helped clean up."

"You know, Sesshomaru," Shippo said. "You could take my bottom bunk. I don't mind sharing with you."

Kagome and her mother swooned a little at the sweet offer. Sesshomaru pat Shippo on the head. "Thanks, Shippo. That's incredibly generous of you, but I think I'll head home tonight. I'll see you tomorrow. We have a lot of fun things planned, remember?"

"If the weather holds out," Kagome added.

It was dark out but they could still hear the steady fall of rain outside. "We'll adjust as needed."

He took the mugs in the living room and brought them into the kitchen. Dinner had already been cleaned up before and the leftovers stored in the fridge. Sesshomaru loaded the dishwasher as Shippo and Kagome cleaned up the match game and then they both took them up to his room. She instructed him to go brush his teeth while she went to see if Sesshomaru needed any help.

"Nope. I'm going to run your dishes though."

"Sure."

He loaded the soap into little compartment and turned it on. Shippo came out of the bathroom just in time for Sesshomaru to say his goodbyes. Sesshomaru bent down to hug Shippo. The little boy didn't look happy as he stood back up.

"Thank you again for cooking us such a lovely dinner," Rumiko said. "I look forward to spending more time with you tomorrow."

She came around the couch and hugged Sesshomaru. He returned the hug tentatively; feeling more than a bit awkward. Mr. Higurashi thanked him as well with a simple nod.

Sesshomaru paused looking at Kagome. There was a tension as the two just stood by each other. "Dad, why don't we go upstairs to let these two say goodbye properly."

"A proper goodbye can be done in front of us," he disagreed, his hard expression coming back on his face.

"They'll just kiss," Shippo said, his face screwing up a bit. "It's kind of gross. It's better if you aren't in the room."

Kagome's face went red as Sesshomaru laughed a little..

"Well then, how about we get you ready for bed?" Rumiko said, holding out her hand for Shippo.

He took it and led her to his room. As she passed, she smiled at the two of them, the laugher in her eyes evident.

"I'm not leaving," Mr. Higurashi protested.

"Fine," Kagome said, reaching out to grab Sesshomaru's hand and pulling him into the foyer.

"K-Kagome," her grandfather protested.

Once out of sight, Kagome turned abruptly, threw her arms around Sesshomaru's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. His arms immediately went around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and deepening the kiss. When they finally came up for air, Sesshomaru didn't let her get far from him. "I missed being able to do this today. I've never felt like you were further from me when you were still in the same room."

"Ditto," Kagome replied. "I'm glad this isn't a long weekend. One more day and you don't have to go anywhere at the end of the night."

"That sounds wonderful," he agreed.

"A-and, I have a surprise for you then too."

The blush on Kagome's cheek told him the nature of the surprise and it made him smile all the more. He kissed her again, forgetting about her family in the rest of the house until he heard a discreet cough behind him. It was Rumiko. "Goodnight you two," she said.

"Goodnight," they both said.

Mr. Higurashi came into view next. He was looking disapprovingly at both of them but followed his daughter-in-law up the stairs toward the room he was borrowing for the night.

"I should go," Sesshomaru said. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Thanks for everything," Kagome said.

"No thanks necessary."

"All the more reason I want to thank you."

He kissed her again, this time just a lingering touch on her forehead. "Love you."

"Love you too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

He turned and left then, knowing if he stayed any longer it would be harder for him to walk away. Distractedly, he walked across the yards, hardly noticing the rain, and entered his house.

Walking into the living room, his eyes widened a bit as he was immediately greeted by Inuyasha flat on his back on the dining room table, Kouga holding him down in a rather aggressive make out session. That was unexpected. He stopped to see if he could pass by without drawing attention to himself. The last thing he needed was the two of them getting awkward with each other because of him.

Unfortunately, about midway through his quiet trek to the stairs they pulled apart and the little noise he was making was just enough to get their attention. Inuyasha went red and sat up so quickly he hit Kouga in the face. Kouga cursed and tried to step away, Inuyasha stopped him, apologizing and looking at the damage.

They all stood like deer in headlights, not sure what to do next. Finally, realizing that they were waiting for his reaction to it all, Sesshomaru decided to break the tension. "Please don't forget to clean up before you go to bed. The counter is covered with your takeout."

Inuyasha shot him a glare, his left hand holding Kouga's shirt to keep him from backing away. "Is that really all you have to say?"

"I expect the dining room table disinfected too. You could have chosen a better place; I'm sure that thing isn't comfortable."

"Yeah, well, I needed a reason to like this table, I suppose."

Sesshomaru snorted. "I'm going to bed. We'll talk more in the morning. Don't forget to clean up before you two fall asleep for the night. I'm serious. That stuff will smell up the house if you keep it out."

"Okay mom," Inuyasha mocked in a falsetto voice.

"If I was your mom, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said as he began climbing the stairs. "I wouldn't let your boyfriend spend the night with you. I'd be worried about your precious virginity."

He heard Inuyasha's bark of laughter. "Little too late for that."

"You two have really fucked up sense of humour," Kouga replied.

He could practically hear the roll of Inuyasha's eyes. As he closed his bedroom's door, he figured the silence behind him indiciated the two had gone back to what he had accidentally interrupted.


	14. Chapter 14

Sesshomaru was sitting on one of the bar stools when Kouga came down the stairs. He paused at the entrance to the living room upon seeing him. "There's coffee in the pot. I'm not quite awake enough to cook anything, but you're welcome to anything we have."

That seemed to put Kouga at ease and he walked forward to grab a mug from a cabinet and filled it with coffee. He sipped it with his eyes closed. Sesshomaru continued to read the news on his tablet.

"I guess you have some questions," Kouga eventually said.

"A few."

"I'm grateful that you're at least being rational about this. It's more than my family was."

"Oh? Did they catch you two making out too?"

He had been joking, of course, but Kouga's expression was far from jovial. His forehead was pinched in pain and his entire face looked pensive. "No, my family is...very close and they expect certain things of me. I accidentally blurted out that I was gay to them in a moment of anger and well, only a handful of my cousins are still speaking with me."

"I'm sorry," Sesshomaru said. "You're always welcome here. Doesn't matter how long."

Kouga gave him a sad looking smile and thanked him. "I didn't mean to intrude. It's just Inuyasha is the only one I can really turn to in this; you're kind of the by-product of relying on him. I didn't mean to pull you into this."

"I do consider you a friend too, Kouga. I'm not being pulled into anything. Though, after what I witnessed last night, I hope my brother means a little more to you than how you phrased that."

"Oh, well, yeah. We're kind of figuring that part out."

Kouga sighed, his tan cheeks flushing a little, and bringing up a hand to scratch at his neck. His customary ponytail was missing and his dark hair, much longer than it usually looked up, was down close to the middle of his back. "I kind of came on to him at the BBQ a few months back. And by come on, I cornered him as everyone was leaving and kissed him. It was kind of, not planned, and I'm grateful he didn't slug me."

"Didn't you bring a date to the BBQ?"

"Ayame. Yeah. My family has been trying to set me up with her for ages and have continuously been forcing me to bring her to things. That fight I blurted out that I was gay, it was about Ayame. My parents were all but threatening to propose to her on my behalf. My dad, he got so angry. My mom just cried."

"I'm sure they'll come to; they're your parents."

Kouga shrugged. "My cousins have passed on a messages. My dad says he'll forget the whole thing if I just agree to marry Ayame. That's not going to happen. It would be cruel for both of us."

Sesshomaru agreed. "So you kissed my brother and he didn't hit you. I'm curious how it got from there to...well, last night."

"You'll have to ask him to explain his part of it. I only know about me. But," he paused, his voice softening a bit. "I'm actually really happy he accepted who I am and, for now at least, accepted my affection. I know you were just joking last night, but he-he's not my boyfriend."

"Do you want him to be?"

Kouga shrugged looking up again. "I don't want to get my hopes up."

"Okay, yeah 'cause I'm like _so_ known for sleeping around with random people - male or female," Inuyasha's grouchy voice interrupted them.

He was wearing only sleep pants and his hair was a tangled mess. He walked over, glaring at both of them, and poured himself a coffee. Kouga looked sheepishly anywhere but at the two brothers.

"Don't mind him," Sesshomaru said. "He's not a morning person. Let him get some coffee in him and wake up, and he'll be less of... _this_." He finished with a sweep of his hand towards Inuyasha.

Inuyasha flicked him off as he drank his first cup. He filled it again after he drained it, slowing down as he sipped this one. His shoulders relaxed a little, moving over to wrap an arm around Kouga's waist. He kissed him on the cheek before returning to his mug. "I'm all for skipping this morning's workout," he mumbled. "Kinda sore."

"I figured; that's why I let you sleep in."

"I could have lived without what that implies," Sesshomaru said.

"Whatever, I walked in on you and Kagome's heavy petting session before. You don't get to say anything."

"So I guess you're both even then," Kouga added.

Both brothers looked at each other for a moment, before breaking out in laughter. Kouga joined. "I'm starving," he said, after they had calmed down a bit. "It's still early enough to beat the crowds to the diner at T Plaza. Anyone want to go?"

"I'm in," Inuyasha. "You doing something with Kagome this morning?"

"We didn't have plans for the morning. I'd invite her grandfather, but he doesn't like me."

"Good man," Inuyasha said. "Sees through your bullshit. I like him already."

"That's good, because he likes you."

"Me? Have I met him?"

"Don't think so, but Souta spoke highly of you to them."

"He's a good kid. Shouldn't he be done with school soon? Wonder what he's going to do after he graduates."

"You can ask Mr. Higurashi tonight. I'm sure he'd love to speak with you."

"Sure. I'll try to put in a good word for you."

Kouga was already leaving the room to get dressed. Inuyasha saw this and drained his mug, putting it in the sink, and following. Sesshomaru did the same. "Hey," Sesshomaru stopped Inuyasha before he entered his room. "Let's plan on switching rooms over the next week or two, okay? You're right. I'm not over here all that much anymore; I think you deserve the bigger room."

Inuyasha's brows knit together. "You sure?"

"Definitely."

"Okay."

"Though I demand you do a full scrub down of your room first."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and walked into his room, slamming the door behind him. Sesshomaru just chuckled and walked into his room to change.

 **I'm heading out to get breakfast with Kouga and my brother. Do you need anything?**

 _IV drip of coffee?_

 **Didn't sleep well on the couch? Or just without me?**

 _Both?_

 **Is it okay if Kouga joins us for dinner tonight?**

 _Of course. Did he stay the night?_

 **He'll be over here for awhile. Got into a fight with his family.**

 _That doesn't sound good. Is he okay?_

 **I'm not sure if I should tell you or let him tell you.**

 _You can't do that! You have to tell me now!_

 _Sesshomaru!_

 _Fine, I'll ask him._

Sesshomaru put his phone down and walked downstairs. The other two men were waiting for him already. Both their phones, and his, went off as they walked out of the door. "That's Kagome. I guess she's doing a group text."

"What did you tell her?" Inuyasha asked, looking at his phone.

"Not much. I figured it was something you two should share."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kouga asked.

Sesshomaru volunteered to drive and they piled into his car. Kouga took the back seat. "It's Kagome," Inuyasha said. "She's not going to care."

"She might be curious as to why you flirted with her so hard," Sesshomaru added. "You definitely laid it on thick sometimes."

"Actually," Inuyasha said, finishing up sending a message then turning around in his seat to look at Kouga. "I'm curious about that too. Until the BBQ, I always thought you were really into Kagome."

Kouga just shrugged. "I am really into Kagome - don't look at me like that, just because you're dating her doesn't mean my attraction changes. Just that I wouldn't do anything about it."

"So you're bisexual then?" Sesshomaru asked.

"No clue. I'm not like into everyone I meet. Kagome's kindness attracted me to her. She's pretty, but that's not even half of what she is and that's why I probably came off as 'laying it on thick' when it came to trying to impress her. My fault. She was actually the first person I ever pursued."

"Really?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah," a cocky smile coming over Kouga's face. "Everyone else pursued me."

"Arrogant ass," Inuyasha scoffed, looking back to the front.

They were nearly at the diner now. Traffic was light this early in the morning. The weather had cleared, which would bring more people out once things began opening up for business for the day.

"What about Inuyasha then? What attracted him to you then?"

"Definitely the bod."

"Hey, I have a good personality too."

"No you don't," both men responded in a joking tone.

Inuyasha glared at both of them. "I hate you both."

"What do they say? Common interests makes good friends and good friends make great lovers?"

"Then Sesshomaru is screwed; what do you and Kagome have in common?"

"I take offense to that," Sesshomaru said.

"Yeah, name one thing that you two share in common - that isn't Shippo, because he came in after you two started dating."

Sesshomaru paused to think it over. They didn't have a lot of common interests, if he was really thinking about it. There were things she did that he had begun to enjoy because of her - like her bad movie nights - though he would never go out of his way to watch those without her present and vice versa. Puzzling over it as he pulled into the strip and parked, he couldn't actually think of anything they had in common. He frowned at his thoughts as he got out of the car.

"I was just joking, Sesshomaru, shit," Inuyasha said as they walked towards the diner. "Get that stupid look off your face because you frighten everyone."

Kouga proceeded them into the building and found them a seat in one of the front booths. Kouga and Inuyasha shared a side while Sesshomaru sat on his own.

"No, you're right."

"But that doesn't mean you aren't well suited," Kouga pointed out. "In some ways, that might be better for the two of you. Kagome's very nice, while you're a bit too..." he paused to think over his word choice. "Formal? Hard? I don't know the best word, but you two balance each other out."

"Plus, who says shared interests have to be something you have going into a relationship?" Inuyasha added. "Maybe for some people it's just one of those things you grow into."

The waitress came, ending their conversation, and taking their orders. Sesshomaru's phone went off, this time without the accompanying chorus from Inuyasha and Kouga's. He fished it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. It was from his mother.

 _I'm officially back in town. Call me if you want to do dinner._

 **Of course. I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend before you leave again, if that's okay with you.**

 _Is this the girl your dad has been mooning over?_

 **I wouldn't say mooning. When have you been talking to him?**

 _He keeps me informed on how you're doing. I grill him to make sure he's not being a complete imbecile._

 _He said something about you bringing a 'banging' date to one of his Club's events._

 _I'm surprised he didn't try to steal her from under you._

 **He showed up a few times to flirt with her; Kagome just thought he was coming off creepy.**

 _Hmm, I like her already._

 **Good. Because I plan on asking her to marry me.**

His mother went silent for a few minutes. Marriage with his dad had kind of soured her towards the concept and she was known to be fairly opposed to the institution as a whole now. Even after dating her current boyfriend, Ito, for a decade and change. The next text he got was from his dad.

 _Just got a call from your mother._

 _Come to my place after work Tuesday._

 _This isn't a request; we'll both be there to talk to you._

Sesshomaru frowned and put his phone away, not bothering to respond. His father knew well enough he wouldn't disobey a request like this - especially when his parents were willing to be in the same room as each other. He told Inuyasha about both conversations.

"Want me to come with you? Your mom doesn't like me much, but I can at least be moral support."

"Mother never had a problem with you, personally."

"She never seemed like she liked me."

"She doesn't really like dad and I think some of your personality comes off like his less than positive attributes, at least in her eyes."

"If you say so," Inuyasha replied skeptically. "Offer still stands regardless. Just let me know."

"I know what this lecture is going to be about and think I can handle it. I'll let you know if I change my mind."


	15. Chapter 15

There was a knock at Kagome's office door before Candice's head popped through the opening. She was a part-timer who worked as an additional office aide a few times a week. "Hey, Ms. Kagome, there is someone here to see you. A Dr. something something. Wanna see her?"

Kagome's brows knit but she nodded. Sitting up in her chair just a bit, she reached out to tidy her desk. She looked up when the door opened again and a woman stepped in. Kagome stood to greet the woman, waiting for her to step forward so she could offer her hand.

"Kagome, I assume?"

She nodded realizing at once who this woman was. "You must be Sesshomaru's mother."

She cocked a brow, a very Sesshomaru-like gesture, and nodded. Just as Inuyasha seemed to take after his dad, Sesshomaru resembled his mother. From the elegant, delicate bone structure to the way they carried themselves: haughty, arrogant, and highly intelligent.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, please feel free to take a seat."

She did, saying nothing while looking around the room. Kagome sat back down too, uncomfortable with the silence. She began to babble. "Sesshomaru told me you were coming into town. How long are you here for?"

"Yes. I believe he has plans for all of us to get together at some point, but I thought it best to meet you when he's not around running interference."

Kagome smiled briefly, though it faded at the woman's intense look.

"I'm Dr. Inukimi Sato, since I don't think the girl in front was paying much attention. Please address me with my prefix; I worked hard for it."

"Of course, Dr. Sato."

"Dr. Inukimi is fine," she interrupted. "My ex-husband and I agree on a very little, but there is one thing we are unanimous on."

"That I'm not good enough for Sesshomaru?"

Inukimi's brows knit and her frown deepened. "Is that what you really think? Has Sesshomaru made you feel that way? I didn't raise him to be disrespectful to women."

Kagome hadn't gotten the impression that she had much to do with his rearing since Sesshomaru lived mostly with his father growing up, but decided to keep that thought to herself. "That's not it. I just figured after an unexpected visit from his mother that was the most likely, cliched reason."

Inukimi snorted, sitting back in her chair. "Touche. From what I've been told you are a delightful, intelligent young lady who gets along famously with my son. That all comes from Toga, by the by, who stopped looking for any of those qualities in women decades ago. For him to notice beyond your pretty face speaks volumes of you as a person."

"Then why the sudden visit?"

"Because I don't want you to _marry_ my son."

Kagome was shocked. Her breath caught in her chest and her cheeks flushed bright red. "W-we're not; _he_ hasn't-"

"Oh, he will. He's already told us and has purchased a ring and all that nonsense."

Kagome's hands clenched in her lap, her eyes locked firmly out of focus on the top of her desk. She was counting slowly in her head trying to force herself to breath in deep, even breaths. This was too much to take in; it wasn't even a fair way to find out.

"Please understand this has nothing to do with you. In fact, please continue to date him as long as the two of you hold each other's interest," Inukimi continued, oblivious to Kagome's anxiety. "My problem is just with the marriage."

"In general or just between Sesshomaru and I?" Kagome snapped.

"Both. Learn from your elders, young lady. Marriage is a waste of time and resources. Any marrying into the Takashi family - that's probably the worst idea anyone can have."

"That's a rather vague warning."

"Would you like me to go into all the details? I think the demise of mine and Toga's marriage would be pretty juicy gossip for his social circle."

Kagome frowned. "You're making a lot of assumptions about both Sesshomaru and myself."

"I know my son."

"Obviously not that well if you think he's just like his father."

Inukimi sat therr studying Kagome for a long minute. Her expression was pensive. "You don't see the side of them that is similar then," she finally answered quietly. "I dare say you haven't see the Takashi business side at all. Both Toga and my son can be ruthless when they need to be. 'Dog eat dog world' or whatever nonsense they use to justify it."

Taking a deep breath, Inukimi stood up. "I like you. I honestly do. But I promise it's not me who doesn't know my son. All sweetness and charm, in his own way, is the M.O. of all Takashi men, but it's not _all_ they are. You may not like this other side of Sesshomaru."

Kagome just stared at her blankly, giving her nothing, emotionally, to work with. Finally, Inukimi sighed and shook her head. "I'd ask your word not to marry my son - for _both_ your sakes, mind you - but I doubt you'd give it to me. It was nice to meet you, Kagome. I look forward to our future outings together."

She turned then and exited the room, closing the door as she left. Kagome let out a trembling breath and let her body finally collapse in her seat. Candice's head again popped in. "You okay, Ms. Kagome?"

Kagome nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "Yes, just my future mother-in-law, I guess."

At that Candice stepped fully in the room, her eyes wide. "I didn't know you were engaged."

"I'm not. But my boyfriend's mother came to warn me off of marrying him."

"Oh - She Catherine De Bourghed you."

"She what?"

"Catherine De Bourgh - like in _Pride and Prejucide_. Mr. Darcy's aunt comes to scare Lizzy away from marrying her nephew because she wants her daughter to marry him. Oh! You think she has someone she'd prefer him to marry?"

"Doubt it. Sounds like she hates marriage as a whole."

"Huh. Weird. Well you wouldn't be the first person with a mother-in-law that didn't get along with them."

Kagome chuckled. "That's a little too far ahead. He hasn't even asked me yet."

"You're going to say yes though, right? I haven't seen this guy yet, but the teachers say he's really handsome and Shippo adores him. Hot and good with kids? What's there to say no to?"

Kagome shook her head. Of course the teachers gossiped about her love life. "I think I'm just in shock right now, I guess. We haven't been dating all that long."

Candice looked at her for a moment, her head cocked to one side. Finally she shrugged her shoulders. "You always seem like super capable with every decision thought out beforehand. I'm sure you'll do the same with this decision." Candice turned to walk out the door, grabbing the handle and pulling it shut after her. She stopped when there was just enough for her head to still be peaking through. "Or maybe this is one of those things that you shouldn't think too much on, and instead just go with your heart. You know, like all that fun romantic stuff you see in movies."

The door was imposing. Sesshomaru had rung a few moments earlier and now waited for it to be opened for him. He still had a key to his childhood home should he choose to use it, but it didn't feel right. It was and would always be his father's domineering domain first and foremost.

A pristinely dressed man with a passive face opened the door for him, stepping back to let Sesshomaru pass by before shutting it back behind him. "Welcome home, Mr. Sesshomaru. Your parents are waiting for you in Mr. Takashi's office."

"Thank you."

He didn't wait for the man to walk him to the office. He knew where everything was anyway, even with the changes each girlfriend made to the house during her tenure with his father. As Sesshomaru passed one of the front rooms, he heard Ayako bitching into her phone. She was pacing and obviously not happy. He caught a few words indicating that she wasn't pleased with his mother being there. He didn't stop as he passed by towards the office at the back of the house, facing the back garden.

The door to the office was already open. Sesshomaru walked straight in. His parents had been sitting silently - his mother staring out through the French doors and his father staring at his desk's top. Both seemed startled by his entrance. He walked straight to his mother and kissed her cheek. "Welcome back, mother."

"Thank you, Sesshomaru."

The two men shared a brief nod as a greeting. Gone was Toga's usual boyish smile and open humour. This was his business side and it didn't bode well. "Please take a seat," he ordered, motioning to the chair opposite his mother's.

"I don't plan on staying long. Please list your grievances but I promise you it won't change my decision."

"Of all my children-"

"All?" Both Inukimi and Sesshomaru interrupted at the same time. Inukimi continue. "Are there more that we don't know about?"

"Both. Whatever. You know what I mean."

"You always choose your words carefully," Sesshomaru pointed out. "A weird time for a lapse."

"Excuse me if I'm under a little shock upon learning my eldest son - the one I was _sure_ wasn't stupid enough to fall into this trap - has decided to make the most disastrous decision of his life! I'm allowed some fuck ups from time to time," Toga yelled.

Mother and son exchanged looks but said nothing. He took a few deep breaths before sitting back in his chair and visibly calming himself.

"I've already talked to our lawyers to see if there was any way I could stop this. Their recommendation was to threaten to remove you from the company and my will."

Sesshomaru lifted a brow, his face blank. It was a bluff. At this point, he was doing more than his father and to remove him would cause an uproar among the Board of Directors. And even if he did go through with it, with Sesshomaru's resume, finding a new job would take no time at all.

"I'll keep that in my back pocket for now," Toga continued, realizing his bluff had been called. "They are going ahead and drawing up a pre-nup."

"No."

"It's to protect you and the company.

"No."

"Sesshomaru," his mother interjected. "We can have my lawyer draw it up; she would make sure to write it to benefit both of your fairly."

"No. I appreciate the appearance of parental caring, but I won't damn this marriage because you two are so jaded by it."

"We do care, you know," Inukimi said, her voice quiet than normal.

"Then let me live _my_ life and make _my_ mistakes - though in this case, I assure you it is _not_ a mistake."

Silence reigned again as each of his parents were lost in thought. Sesshomaru expected more of an onslaught. "Nothing else to add?"

Toga still seemed out of sorts and his mother not nearly as brash as normal. "I don't like this," Inukimi eventually said. "But I took the liberty of going to meet Kagome first. I do like her, at least."

"When did you meet her?"

"I stopped by her office earlier today."

Sesshomaru froze, his hands gripping the back of her chair strong enough to make the rich wood groand. "You didn't _tell_ her anything, did you?"

Inukimi remained quiet, her gaze firmly planted on the wall behind Toga.

"Mother," Sesshomaru growled. "You didn't tell her I was going to propose, did you?"

"I was trying to cover all my bases in case we couldn't talk sense into you."

"Mother!" he barked. "How could you? Of all the heartless, cruel things you could do."

"She wouldn't be talked out of it. She was quite sure that I didn't know you well, which is absurd."

"And you obviously don't if thinking that spoiling this for me - for _us!_ \- was something I would forgive so easily."

Inukimi just waved his anger away. "Bah - romantic proposals are for movies. Better to at least approach this marriage rationally and without the culturally mandated ideas of romance and love."

Sesshomaru's breathing was heavy as he spoke again, each word practically being forced through gritted teeth. "I will say this only once. Do not interfere with Kagome and I anymore. This is not normal behavior. You two act like children on the best of days and I'm sick of being on the receiving end of your tantrums."

"Now see here," Inukimi objected as Toga also took issue with the insult.

"I'm done here. Your concerns are noted and fully ignored. Goodbye."

Toga stood to stop Sesshomaru, but he was already out of the door. The servant that had greeted him was ready at the front door to let him out. "Will you be returning Friday for the family dinner?"

"Don't count on me to be back here anytime soon. But thank you for asking and send my excuses to the cook. She was always makes an excellent meal."

"I will let her know."

Sesshomaru nodded as he exited and headed straight for his car. Once inside, he let himself sit there for a moment before gripping the steering wheel and screaming at the top of his lungs. It was always his family that seemed to ruin even his most carefully laid plans.


	16. Chapter 16

Kagome wasn't looking where she was going. She had parked in one of the outer visitor lots of the C Institute campus and walked to the admission building. They had been helpful as she looked at her options, mainly a second Bachelors versus a Masters. The only thing she was missing to be able to apply for the Social Work Masters program was to take the GRE. The Bachelors would be a little cheaper, since she could jump straight into her major's course work, but would require her to be on campus during the day. At least the few Masters level classes that weren't available online, were in the evenings where it wouldn't interfere with her job.

It was a lot to think over. And she really wanted to talk to Sesshomaru about it, but...she was being immature and avoiding him because she wasn't sure how to act around him.

Kagome sighed and finally looked up. There weren't a lot of cars in the lot. There was a green, tree-covered area between the nearest building and the lot itself. If it was closer to campus, it would probably be filled with lounging students. Her mood soured as she noticed the figure sitting on a bench under one of the trees. He was bent over, his arms resting on his legs, hands clasped, and head down.

She slowed down until she came to a complete stop in front of Toga. She pursed her lips as she waited for him to look up.

"Good afternoon Kagome," he said, sitting back and looking up at her. "I'm glad I was able to catch you here."

"How did you know I would be here?"

"Sesshomaru mentioned that you were looking into going back to school here. I called your office earlier and they said you were out, so I just took a guess where you might be."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. That seemed highly unlikely. "I suppose you're here to warn me off marrying your son too?"

"If I thought I could, I might. But if you can hold your own against Inukimi, I know I'll have no luck either. She's a force to be reckoned with."

He motioned for her to take a seat next to him, which she did cautiously. "I took the liberty of setting up an account for you here."

"An account?"

"Think of it like a scholarship just for you. They'll bill the account for all your expenses."

"That's...generous."

Toga smiled, though it lacked his usual humor. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"I figured there was a catch."

"No catch. This isn't attached to your education expenses. You're welcome to say no to this, but I'm hoping you won't. You're the only one I can think to ask this because, well you're you."

Kagome was quiet, waiting for him to continue. He seemed to be struggling with something.

"A-a friend of mine recently passed," he began, closing his eyes for a moment.

Kagome reached out and squeezed his shoulder, encouraging him to go on. He looked at her hand, then her, and nodded in appreciation. He waited a few more moments before continuing. "It was cancer; I guess they had known for awhile but never told me. I-I feel horrible. I'm sure I could have done something if I had known."

"You can't always. Sometimes, there is nothing to do but make someone comfortable."

Toga bobbed his head a few times, more lost in his own thoughts than what she had said. Kagome just waited for him to say more. Her annoyance with him was fading seeing how genuinely affected he seemed to be. When he didn't seem to remember where he was, she cleared her throat quietly to bring him back to the present.

He smiled at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. This has obviously all come as a shock."

"I understand. You said you needed a favor? I'm assuming it has to do with your friend."

"Yes. They left me in charge of their estate, what little there is, which also means taking up guardianship of a child."

"What?"

"Yeah. A little girl. I believe from the details that were sent to me, she's either seven or eight. Somewhere around there," he paused to fully look at her again. "I can't raise another kid - especially not a young child. I barely managed to do any good for my first two, how could I expect to raise this girl right?"

"Obviously your friend felt like you were the best person. I'm assuming there isn't any other family?"

"No."

"If you don't take her, she'll be handed over to the state."

"To foster care," he clarified. "And you're a registered foster parent now. I was hoping you might agree to take her in. I'll help supplement your income to take care of her, of course."

"Toga - I just don't know."

"Full time job; full time student; full time mom; full time girlfriend. I get it. But I know if she's with you, she'll be safe and loved and that's all I could ever want for her. Kagome, I'll hire a full time nanny if you need one; hell, I'll buy you and Sesshomaru your dream house."

"You'll do all this but you won't just take her in yourself?"

"Money I have in abundance. It takes little effort to set you up to take care of her. Everything else, that - that it's much more difficult. Ayako overheard my talking to the lawyer and she already hates her."

"You're really going to let Ayako make this decision for you? I didn't even think you liked her very much."

Toga shrugged, sitting back once more and letting his head fall back so he was looking up into the canopy above them. "It's just a thing. I've overdue to break up with her, but there is always another Ayako behind her."

"Or perhaps you look for a different type of person to date?"

He didn't say anything and again they sat in an awkward silence. Her phone chirped, and she looked down at it to see a text from Inuyasha. She had mentioned her appointment today and he had offered to pick up Shippo if she ended up running late.

"Listen, I have to go."

"From Sesshomaru?" he asked, motioning to her phone with his head.

"No. I have to go pick up Shippo."

She stood from the bench, readjusted her dress and bag. She searched through it, moving all the paperwork she had just received to the side until she found her keys and sunglasses.

"You never answered if you'd do me this favor?"

"I told you, I just don't think I can handle-"

"Will you at least meet her."

"You're trying to be manipulative, but that won't work on me."

"Please. At least, maybe she and Shippo can be friends. From what I understand she doesn't talk a lot. Probably trauma."

"Shippo isn't even five yet; I don't know if there even close enough in age to be friends."

"No, but they've both lost a parent-figure recently. It might at least do a little good. Couldn't it?"

Again Kagome's phone chirped. It was Inuyasha again, saying that he was going to grab Shippo since he hadn't heard for her. Kagome texted him back real quick, thanking him, and saying she'd meet them at home. She knew Toga was waiting on her answer.

"When will you have custody of her?"

"Anytime. I can go pick her up now and bring her over."

"Where she's staying right now?"

"Temporary housing with one of her mother's friends, but they can't keep her permanently. I'll go get her now and bring her over in time for dinner," he paused to reach into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a card and handed it out for her to take. "This is a restaurant I really like. They don't really deliver, but they will for me. They'll charge my account too, so just order whatever and let them know it's for me."

Kagome took the card, looked it over, then handed it back. "I'll take care of dinner. This is a fine dining restaurant, not really kid-friendly food."

Toga sighed and took the card back. "See? I can't raise her; I don't even know stupid things like this."

Kagome rolled her eyes. He was getting very dramatic in his attempt to seem inept. "What's her name?"

"What?"

"The girl's name. You haven't mentioned it. It'll help to know that."

"Rin."

"I'll extend an invitation to the guys too. We can all eat at my place."

"I'd rather Sesshomaru and Inuyasha not be there."

"I figured. But, I want them there so that's how it'll be. Can you get there by seven?"

"We'll be there."

Kagome nodded then turned away. She headed straight for her car. She unlocked it and jumped in, getting the car started to get the air flowing and the Bluetooth connected. She buckled up and pulled out of her spot as her phone finished pairing. She went through the prompts until she could hear Sesshomaru's phone ringing through her car's speakers. He picked up at the last moment, his voice a little hushed.

"Kagome? Is everything alright?"

"Dinner tonight at 7."

"I'm sorry?"

"Your dad is coming over with a special guest. I need back up."

"My mom?"

"No. I'll explain more when you get home. I'm inviting Inuyasha and Kouga too."

"Gotcha. I'll see you when I get home."

"Okay."

"Love you."

Kagome smiled. "Love you too."

"I'm sorry I was avoiding you," Kagome said quietly in the kitchen.

Inuyasha and Kouga were on the couch playing a video game with Shippo. Everyone but Shippo was on edge for the last of the guests' arrival.

"You were avoiding me?" Sesshomaru asked, hiding a smile behind his cup of tea.

"Please accept my apology. I already feel really stupid for acting so immature."

"You weren't being immature. My parents are immature. This has all been pretty awkward," he put his cup down and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "You don't need to apology, but I accept it all the same."

The doorbell rang and Kagome jumped a bit. She reached over and squeezed Sesshomaru's arm before pulling away. Kouga and Inuyasha had frozen and were looking to her as she crossed the living room. "Could be the food," she said.

She grabbed her wallet, which she had put on the half table in the hallway. Opening the door, she found a harried delivery man barely holding on to multiple bags of stuffed Chinese food.

"Inuyasha," Kagome yelled behind her. "How much did you order?"

Her answer was just laughter before he and Kouga jogged to the door to help her with the food. Kagome apologized to the delivery man for the overload. "It's fine. Just a bit cumbersome. Took me a couple trips just to get everything up here."

He handed her the receipt, which she took with the offered pen, and made sure to add a hefty tip before she signed it. She handed both back to the guy and thanked him.

Before she could close the door, another car pulled up, this one pulling into her driveway. "Toga's here," she called back once more, this time leaving her house to walk to greet the two people in the car.

Toga got out and nodded at her. "Sorry we're running late."

He unlocked the back door and opened it. She was buckled into back seat and looked up at him with dead eyes as he unbuckled her. He stepped back so she could get out but she simply sat there.

Kagome frowned a little before moving around the door and squatting down in the opening. "Hey Rin, I'm Kagome," she said giving a friendly smile. "Are you hungry?"

The little girl looked at her for a long time before slowly nodding. Kagome's heart felt like it was being squeezed for a moment. "I'm so glad to hear that. My friends just ordered a lot of food and we need some help eating it all. You think you can help us?"

Again, Rin responded silently several beats after Kagome asked. Kagome held out her hand for Rin to take, which she eventually did, and she helped her out of the car. At a snail's pace, with Rin's hand gripping Kagome's harder as they got closer to the house, the three of them made their way back inside. Sesshomaru was waiting for them in the doorway. They shared a look between them before Sesshomaru ushered them all in, shutting the door behind them.

"What's that?" they could hear Shippo asking.

"Eggroll. Here, try one," Kouga replied.

They walked into the living room and everyone stopped to look at them. "Good timing," Inuyasha said, bringing plates from the kitchen to lay out on the table.

Shippo and Kouga were both munching on an eggroll. Shippo seemed to be pretty curious about their visitors - Rin specifically.

"Hey guys, let me introduce you to my new friend here. This is Rin. Rin," she waited until the girl looked up at him. "This is Sesshomaru. That's Inuyasha and Kouga. And finally, this is Shippo."

Shippo waved, his mouth still full. Rin just looked at each of them quietly in turn then back up to Kagome. "Why don't we get you a plate of food?" Sesshomaru suggested, holding out his hand for Rin.

She cautiously dropped Kagome's hand to take his and they walked over to the dinner table. Kagome looked at Toga.

"I know it's bad. She's already seeing her school's counselor."

"She needs more help than that. She's nearly comatose."

"I know," he said, his voice filled with pain.

They both walked over to the table where Inuyasha was spooning out little bits of everything for Shippo to try, filling up his plate in the process. "Why don't we eat at the couch?" she suggested, noticing their food was taking up most of the table space. "What can I get you to drink, Toga?"

"Water is fine."

"Shippo is having water too," she said, looking at where Rin was standing close to Sesshomaru's side. "Would you like some too? Or I have juice?"

Rin seemed to struggle for a moment before she held up her hand with one digit lifted. Kagome tried to put her most encouraging smile on her face. That was progress. "Water it is. I'll be right back. Two hands, Shippo. I'll bring silverware and paper towels."

She brought the whole paper towel stand along with the silverware and put them down on the coffee table. Inuyasha put all the bamboo chopsticks in the pile for those that chose to use them. Kouga was already sitting down in the corner of the sectional. Shippo was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table. "You don't have to eat what you don't like," she said, noticing he was picking at some of the selections. "Just don't play with it. You can get more of what you do like."

He nodded at her and she went back to the kitchen to get the cups of water - Rin's in one of Shippo's plastic, reusable bottles. Toga was sitting down as she came back into the living room. She handed him his glass, then put Rin's down next to Shippo's. He looked up at her, thousands of questions dancing in his eyes. "Be nice," she mouthed to him, though she had no doubt he would be.

Sesshomaru led Rin over to the couches, passing Kagome who was finally able to put her own plate together. Inuyasha settled in next to Kouga, grabbing the remote as he did so. He switched the TV off the game from earlier, loading up Netflix instead. "Okay kiddo," he said addressing Shippo. "You won the race, so you get to choose what we watch. What'll be?"

"Voltron!"

Kouga and Inuyasha groaned but pulled up the program and started it up from his last viewed episode. Rin was just settling on the floor next to him and Shippo turned towards her. "Have you watched Voltron before?"

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "It's a great show. This is the third season, so you're behind, but I'll catch you up. Just tell me if you have any questions, okay?"

Rin nodded a bit then turned to watch the show as Shippo gave a hyperactive and only slightly understandable breakdown of the show thus far.

"Don't forget to eat you two," Kagome said to both of them. Sesshomaru was sitting on the couch behind the two kids and Kagome moved to sit next to him. They all ate together with only the lightest talking between adults as they watched the two kids interact.

"That was painful," Inuyasha said, sitting back against Kouga.

Kagome put her hand to her lips. The door to Shippo's room was cracked and the nightlight could just be seen within the room. Rin was spending the night as she had fallen asleep with Shippo on the couch. It was nearly midnight; they had let them stay up way too late.

Toga had already left, promising to be back in the morning. All the remaining food was packed up and in the fridge. Sesshomaru brought in a mug of coffee for Kagome. They all came together on the couch together.

"What's her medical history?"

"I think she can talk, I just don't think she wants to. She's been through a lot; she's probably scared."

"Do we know who this friend is that stupidly gave dad custody of his daughter?"

"No. I wasn't able to get it out of him. He seems genuinely off about all of this."

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip as she thought over the night.

"You're going to take her in, aren't you?" Kouga asked, startling her out of her thoughts.

"I-I don't know if I even can," she said, her heartbreaking just to say that. "If I wasn't about to start school again, then absolutely."

"What if," Sesshomaru started. They all looked to him, his own stare a little unfocused. "What if I moved in with you? I could help take care of both of them - and you."

"Are you serious?" Kagome asked, looking up at him.

He met her gaze and nodded. "Inuyasha and I were already ready to make some changes in the room assignments at our place. Why not go just a bit further?"

Kagome's eyes teared up and she laughed a little. Bringing her legs up so she could rest her forehead on her knees. "Kagome?" Sesshomaru said, his voice quieter. "You okay?"

"Yes. And yes," she turned her head to look at him. "Couldn't surprise me with a proposal so you decided to blindside me with this, huh?"

Sesshomaru chuckled a little, bending down to kiss her exposed cheek. "It's long overdue, I think. I spend more time over here anyway. It just so happens it helps you help Rin and I know it was hurting you to not be able to do that."

"She's going to need a good shrink," Inuyasha added.

"Agreed."

"There is going to be a lot of paperwork to transfer guardianship. I'll make sure that is handled," Sesshomaru said.

All four of them fell into silence as they thought over everything that would have to be done. They were interrupted when Shippo came out of his room.

"Kagome, Rin is having a nightmare."

She jumped over the back of the couch and joggedinto the room. She heard Sesshomaru beckon Shippo to him on the couch. Rin was on the bottom bunk, little noises coming out of her as she occasionally thrashed against the blankets. Kagome sat down and put her hands gently on the little girls shoulder. She called Rin's name shaking her gently as she tried to coax her out of her nightmare. Rin woke up with a little cry, looking around frantically. There was enough light coming from the living room to illuminate Kagome and Rin on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked.

Rin curled up into the fetal position. Little sobs wracking her frame. Kagome shifted to lay down next to the little girl, reaching out to pull her into an embrace. Rin resisted at first until finally she turned fully into Kagome and cried against her.

"I know it's hard to believe right now," Kagome whispered. "But things will get better. I'll do everything I can to make sure of it."

"I miss my mom," Rin said in the slightest of voices.


	17. Chapter 17

"Souta, make sure you put tarps down before you open any of the paint."

"You sure it's wise to let those two be in charge of the painting?" Sesshomaru asked.

Souta had surprised her with a visit after she had spilled that Sesshomaru was moving in with her. Kohaku, Sango's brother, had also volunteered to help; though that was more so he and Souta could hang out. "They aren't kids, technically. I think they can handle painting a room or two."

They both looked out to the backyard where Kouga, Inuyasha, and Shippo were 'racing' across the monkey bars of the playset. Shippo was winning; though from their expressions, it didn't look like the other two men were letting him win. Muscles are heavy, after all, and small children not so much.

Sesshomaru had purchased Rin a kid-sized gazebo and put it out near the playset. She had been with them on and off for two weeks, as the red tape and paperwork was all cut, and now all they had to do was sign the final documents. She still wasn't speaking, but she had taken to Shippo despite their age difference. Rin also kept with her two constant companions. One a bulbous, bipedal toad plushie that Kagome couldn't imagine anyone wanting or making. It was currently sitting in the chair opposite Rin's in her little gazebo, a wooden table between the two of them. Her other companion was Buyo, currently taking up the entire space of the table, who had taken a liking to the silent girl.

"How much left do you have to do at your place?" Kagome asked, bringing her attention back to Sesshomaru.

"Everything I'm bringing is packed up and ready to go. I'm leaving some stuff for Inuyasha and Kouga to use."

"I hope nothing you don't mind being sold. I heard Inuyasha say he was going to sell that dining room table the first change he got."

"He was given permission to sell whatever, as long as he checks with me first."

Sesshomaru's face screwed up for a moment. "Though I wish I had thought to maybe look at architectural options first. We might have been able to combine the two townhomes into just a bigger unit - given us more rooms and a better layout."

"Worried about your brother living without you?" she teased.

"You know that's not it. I'm worried about space."

Kagome shot him a smile that clearly said she didn't believe him.

"He's going to be over here all the time anyway. It's not like he knows how to cook anything besides instant ramen and frozen pizza."

"You know," Kagome said, reaching out for him and pulling him flush against her. "I kinda like it when you show how much you care for your brother."

"Yeah?" he replied, leaning down to get closer to her face.

"Yeah - it makes my stomach go all a flutter."

"Sure that's not just -"

Kagome cut him off by pulling him down for a kiss. He smiled into her lips, wrapping his arms around her. They both swayed to a silent song as they forgot everything else for a moment.

"Hey Kagome, do you know where that blue paint tape is-" Souta yelled, jumping down the stairs two at a time. He stopped when he saw Sesshomaru and Kagome embraced and a cheeky grin split his face. "You know, some of us are trying to work while you two make out."

They pulled apart and Kagome glared at Souta, the effect lessened by her deep, red blush.

"Paint tape?" he asked again.

"Was it not in the bags with the other paint supplies?"

"No, but I know we got some."

After condensing everything they could, making dozens of lists, and trying to be prepared for anything, the motley crew turned family had made a big shopping trip the day before. They had gotten furniture to be assembled, paint, toys, room and bathroom decorations, appropriate tableware for a family with two kids, and a ton more. All the small stuff was on the dining room table in dozens of plastic shopping bags. The big stuff sat against the couch in their boxes.

"Now I know why grandpa didn't like you," Souta said, heading to the table and clapping Sesshomaru on the shoulder as he passed.

"I promise I tried not to make out with Kagome in front of him."

Souta laughed. "Nah - that's not it. You take all of her attention. Grandpa is used to being the center of her world when he's around."

Kagome rolled her eyes and pushed him gently as she joined him at the table. He grinned down at her, no longer her 'little' brother, and now looking nearly the spitting image of their late father.

"I'll get tweedle dee and tweedle dum to start on Shippo's room," Sesshomaru said, walking towards the back door.

"Oh, I can do it. Someone will need to keep an eye on the kids anyway."

Sesshomaru snapped his head to pin her with a look that made her gulp. He rarely frowned, usually keeping his face neutral, so when he did, it was always a bit off-putting. Add to that a look that would brook no argument, and it was the more intimidating. "You've done enough today; you are _not_ painting."

Kagome's lips pressed together into a white line and she gave a sharp nod before looking away. He continued outside.

"What was that about?"

"That's his 'business' face. His mom warned me about that side of him when I first met her."

Souta frowned and looked to where Sesshomaru was trying to bring the other two men inside. Whatever he was saying was bringing Shippo to tears with laughter. The little boy nearly fell off the top of the playset, but Sesshomaru caught him deftly. Rin left her little gazebo, toad in hand, and began walking to the door. Buyo followed behind her.

"Does he scare you like that? Are you sure him moving in is a good idea?" Souta asked quietly, concern evident in his voice.

"No, not at all. He thinks he knows best sometimes and expects everyone to acquiesce. I'm guilty of the same thing, though perhaps not as intimidating."

Souta snorted. "You underestimate yourself if you think you can't be intimidating. Any time I was bullied growing up, you'd come and chew out the guys and they'd stop picking on me."

Kagome looked at him doubtfully.

"Honest truth. They always stopped bullying me - granted, it's because they all had huge crushes on you - but still same result."

The two siblings shared a laugh, pulling out things from bags and trying to pile them into some sort of organization. Eventually Kohaku joined them, obviously bored just waiting upstairs. "Miroku and my sister are headed over," he told them.

The others came in from the backyard, Sesshomaru closing the door behind them. "So, Sesshomaru, Kagome was just telling me how stubborn you are, almost to the point of matching herself."

Sesshomaru's brow rose. "Well, I won't be offended since she's admitting to being a stubborn cow too."

"Cow?!" Kagome objected. "I'm not a cow, you ass."

"It's just a phrase," Sesshomaru defended himself casually.

Muted laughter came from the other adults in the room, everyone waiting for the fight to come.

"Moooo," broke in from the quietest of voices.

Everyone turned to see Rin standing there. She squeaked at having everyone's attention and held up her toad up to hide behind. Shippo laughed, delighted to hear her say something, and began mooing back. From behind her toy, she answered him as if they were two sentient cows having a conversation.

Kagome sent Sesshomaru a 'you started this' look.

"Found it," Souta yeled holding up the tape. "Let's go get this started."

Kohaku and Souta retreated, careful to avoid Shippo was now on all fours impersonating a toad.

"Hey what noise does a fox make?" Shippo asked, trying to think of other animals to mimic.

Rin sat down next to him. Buyo came up and she did her best cat noises.

"They scream," Kouga answered.

Everyone instantly regretted his comment as Shippo began to yell at the top of his lungs.

"Good one," Inuyasha yelled over the ruckus, slapping the back of Kouga's head. Kouga muttered an apology.

"Shippo - what about an elephant?" Kagome suggested.

He switched to raspberry noises through his lips, using one of his arms to be his trunk. Kagome returned to organizing the bags while occasionally shouting out new animals for the kids.

"I see this has already become a madhouse," Miroku exclaimed, coming into the living room with Sango, more bags in their hands.

"Pretty much," Kagome admitted. "The littles are upstairs about to paint," she told Sango.

"Sounds like I should supervise," Sango replied wearily. "Not sure those two alone is a great idea."

"I'm heading up there," Sesshomaru said, pulling his hair into a low bun. "These two were just about to start on Shippo's room. They _definitely_ need supervision."

Inuyasha and Kouga both protested. Sango shoved Miroku towards them. "Look honey," she said with fake sweetness. "You can help your buddies."

Miroku chuckled and gave a dramatic bow. He turned with the others to enter the small room under the stairs.

"What did he do now?" Kagome asked as Sango came to stand besides her, putting her own bags on a chair.

"He made me set a date for the wedding," Sango grumbled.

* * *

"So what did the doctor end up saying?" Sango asked as they finished putting together the last of the furniture for Rin's new room.

It ended up being quite pretty room. They had gone with a lavender colour on three of the walls with a darker purple on the far wall from the door. The one window in the room was a bit off-centered and on the right wall when entering. The white trundle bed was already centered against the dark purple wall waiting to be made. Bedside tables, a dresser, a cubbied-bookcase, and a chair were waiting to be placed now that they were finally finishing her desk.

"They did some additional tests but told me it wasn't anything to worry over. Probably just a bug I caught from work."

Kagome helped heave the desk upright though it wouldn't be steady until they attached it to the bookshelf.

"Are you still feeling bad?"

"A bit, but I'm not worried about it."

"Did you actually go to a real doctor or just a doc-in-a-box? You know those people are there to see as many people as possible and usually just write-off everything with antibiotics."

Kagome pinned her with a look before going back to examining the room. "I went to _my_ doctor. Just drop it. I'll be fine. Between you and Sesshomaru, I'm being mothered more than my mother ever did. Where do you think the desk should go?"

Sango walked over to stand by her, spearing her with a glare. She didn't say anything else and pointed towards the window. "Let's line up the desk so the edge is where the window is, the bookcase sitting closer to the door."

Kagome agreed and they two began working once again. They managed to get the two pieces where they wanted them and Sango made quick work of it with the use of her power tools. When they finished, stepping away to make sure they liked how it looked, they found Rin standing in the doorway.

"What do you think?" Kagome asked. "Want anything changed?"

Rin looked around slowly, coming into the room a few steps, her toad clutched fiercely against her chest. She shook her head a little.

"Want to help up make your bed?" Sango asked.

"You can choose which of the sheet sets you want to use first," Kagome added.

Both sets were sitting on the bed already, freshly laundered and ready to go. Rin walked over to the bed, the two other women following behind, and waited for her to decide. It took longer than it probably should, several times Rin reaching out, then pulling her arm back in quickly. Eventually she chose a set of plain, light green sheets. Sango took the other set to put in the linen closet right outside the hallway.

"Okay, can you put a pillowcase on a pillow, Rin?"

Rin shook her head. Kagome smiled. "Well, let me tell you, the only way to do it is if you look silly while doing so."

Kagome reached out and grabbed one of the two pillows and then one of the pillowcases. She put the pillow under her chin and pressed her head down so she could hold the pillow up without hands. "See, you can't put a pillowcase on without looking silly."

Rin smiled, it was timid still, but it was better than the blank expression that sometimes haunted her for hours. Kagome continued to show Rin how to complete the task, pulling up the pillowcase just enough so she could release it then shimmy the fabric over the entire pillow. She finished with a flourish.

"Hey, Sesshomaru suggested setting up Buyo's bed in here," Sango said, carrying in the plush, rarely used cat bed.

"Of course he would; he doesn't really like Buyo sleeping with us. Not that he's ever used that bed. He prefers to sleep with people."

"Well, all the same, I think we all know Buyo prefers to be with Rin, so might as well let him adjust to this being his shared room. Right, Rin?"

Rin nodded, reaching out for the bed. Sango gave it to her, the oversized cat bed looking huge in her arms. They let Rin walk around and find a place for it as the two women finished making the bed. Buyo's bed ended up under the window. The rest of the furniture, including the small stuff and accessories were put out, Rin helping much more than either woman thought she would.

"Looks nice," Souta said, looking into the room. "Granted, the fantastic paint job really was the foundation of it all."

"Of course it was. Did you finish up setting up the kid's bathroom?"

"The orange monstrosity? Yeah. Why that colour?"

"It was the only colour I could get both kids to agree on."

"Sunshine and foxes. Beautiful," he said screwing up his face. "I may have snuck in a little green toady though."

He winked at Rin giving her a big grin. She smiled back, her eyes crinkling a little bit. "Sesshomaru says dinner is almost ready."

"Did he cook?"

"Yeah. Smells good too. You're probably going to get fat."

"He's been cooking for me for months now," she pointed out. "Rin, you want to leave your toad up here for dinner?"

She shook her head. Kagome was careful to assure her it was okay. It was still a safety thing for the young girl and it would do more harm than good to force her away from it. There were still days when Shippo carried around his little fox when he was feeling especially vulnerable.

"Then let's get downstairs, wash our hands, and get ready to eat something yummy."

Downstairs the chaos from earlier had nearly been cleaned up. Shippo's room was once again righted with his new paint and decorations. Shippo was sitting on the couch watching cartoons curled against a pillow. Kouga and Inuyasha were leaned up against each other, asleep. Miroku was talking with Sesshomaru as Sesshomaru pulled out everything they needed for dinner.

Kagome picked up Rin and lifted her over the couch. Shippo looked up at her as she laid down on the other side of the pillow so they could both share it. "No going to sleep yet guys, okay?" Both kids nodded.

"Where did Kohaku go?"

Sango asked, looking over the room.

"He had some previous plans," Miroku answered. "He went home to wash up first."

"I'm surprised you two aren't doing anything tonight," Kagome said to Souta.

"We are later. I'm going to crash at his place though, so don't worry about me waking anyone up."

He had been sharing a room with Shippo, the younger boy enjoying having Souta share his bunk beds with him.

"DD?"

"Kohaku says one of the girls doesn't drink and will be the group DD, but I always like to keep some funds aside for a Lyft just in case."

"Call me if neither is an option," Sesshomaru added, pulling trays out of the oven.

"Mmmm, you seem like a person who'd be cranky if I woke you up. So, I think I'll pass."

"Hardly. That would most definitely be your sister. But more importantly, I have it within my power to call a car to pick you up."

"When you say car...do you mean limo?"

Sesshomaru just chuckled. "Dinner is ready. Will someone wake up the nappers?"

"I got it!" Miroku said cheerfully.

"I'll do it," Sango interrupted, cutting him off. She walked over and gently pushed on both their shoulders.

Kouga was the first to wake and he helped wake a cranky Inuyasha. They all piled into the kitchen, both kids eventually following because that was where all the adults were. "If you'll give me a moment to begin putting together the kids' plates, then everyone can gather their own food afterwards?"

Sesshomaru grabbed a piece of chicken off the sheet pan and cut it in half. Each half was put on a plate, followed by roasted potatoes and steamed green beans. A dinner roll was added last.

"I'd go ahead and cut up their chicken," Sango suggested as she fell into line behind Miroku to make their plates.

Kagome was already getting Rin and Shippo's water bottles refilled. Sesshomaru followed Sango's advice, making every piece bite-size, then adding a fork and walking to the couch. The dining room table was still too messy to be eaten at. Rin and Shippo followed him, sitting down in front of each plate placed on the coffee table. Kagome sat their bottles down within their reach.

Sesshomaru put his arm around Kagome's shoulders as they walked back together. She leaned heavily against him. "Tired?" he asked her quietly.

"My body feels exhausted, but I don't exactly feel tired. Does that make sense?"

"It does. Make sure you eat well tonight. You barely touched your last two meals."

Kagome nodded, waiting for their guests to finish getting their food before she and Sesshomaru made their plates. Shippo was nearly done when they joined him.

"Thank you Sesshomaru," Shippo said. "This is really good."

"Hmm, duly noted. I'll make sure to remember this as a Shippo favorite for future dinners."

"Yes please."

Kagome sat on the couch, leaning over to kiss Shippo on the head from his spot on the floor. He smiled up at her. Looking over, Rin was eating well too. Kagome made sure to compliment her. "Should we mark this down as a Rin favorite too?"

Rin paused for a moment then looked over to Kagome. For once the little girl looked directly at her. "I-Is Rin staying here now?"

Everyone in the room went silent. It hadn't been said very loudly, but it was so unexpected that it felt as if she had been screamining.

"You are. That's why we had you help with your room. It's yours now. Is that okay?"

Rin's little head began to bob in small little nods. She focused back on her food, though she didn't eat anymore. Sesshomaru and Kagome shared a concerned look. Kagome put her food aside and slipped down to the floor in the space between Rin and Shippo.

"Are you okay, Rin? You matter in all of this. Don't be afraid to share with me - with us."  
"I miss my mommy," Rin replied.

"I know sweetie; I really do," Kagome said, her heartbreaking once again. She knew the pain of losing a parent - she still carried that pain with her decades later.

"But Rin likes Kagome too."

"I very much like Rin too. And I'm very glad to have you here. You and Shippo are very precious to me."

Shippo began giggling behind them. "My precious," he said in a weird, guttural voice.

Inuyasha began laughing. Kagome snapped a look up at him. "Did you let Shippo watch Lord of the Rings?"

"Yeah? So? It's not like it's a bad movie."

"A little heavy for a small child."

Inuyasha just shrugged. "He seemed to like it."

Shippo was laughing repeating 'my precious' while crawling towards her on his hands and feet. "Gollum reminds me of Rin's toad."

Rin pulled away to pick up her toad with a frown. "He's named Jaken," she replied, quietly.

Shippo just shrugged. He repeated his little bit, even going so far as to do the gollum cough. Kagome just frowned at Inuyasha, trying to get Shippo to finish up the last of his meal. Sesshomaru reached over and put Kagome's plate in front of her so she could eat from her new spot on the floor.

"To be fair," Kouga said as Shippo calmed down a bit. "It was my idea to put the movie on because I figured Shippo would fall asleep pretty quickly. Turns out he's a natural Tolkien fanatic."

"Ah, I see 24 hour, extended edition Tolkien-movie marathons in your future Kagome. How exciting."

Sango groaned. "How about I just send you over to watch it with them and Kagome and I can go do something useful."

"True. Lord of the Rings is far too good of a movie franchise for Kagome to waste her time with. She prefers to watch horror movie trash," Souta added.

Kagome just rolled her eyes and dug into her dinner. It had gone cold now, but was still edible and she was finally realizing how hungry she was.

"Can we start having second breakfastes now?" Shippo asked.

Kagome groaned.

* * *

As always, thanks for reading. I have the next chapter halfway written and hope to have it finished off before the end of the weekend.


	18. Chapter 18

Sesshomaru sat in his office, going through paperwork and waiting for Kagome to arrive. They were scheduled to take over custody of Rin, legally, that day. This meant lots of signing of overly complicated paperwork where they both needed to be present. Sesshomaru had already been given copies, but was just now beginning to go through them.

There was a ding from his computer indicating a new slack message from his administrative assistant. She was informing him that Kagome had arrived and he typed quick reply to her that he would be out shortly. He put the binder clip back on the paperwork, scooping it up, then heading for his door. Kagome was standing in the little sitting room specifically designated for his office (Inuyasha liked to call it his antechamber) looking around nervously. She had dressed in one of her bright, sun dresses with a short-sleeved sweater over it. He greeted her with a kiss and a squeeze to her arm.

"I booked a conference room for us to use," he explained, motioning for her to walk with him.

"Wait, you're not going to show me your office? This is the first time I've been here, you know."

"Afterwards, I promise," he replied with a wink.

Kagome shook her head with a shy smile and pink cheeks. Sesshomaru guided them through the floor, explaining a little about the area as they went. It was mostly executive offices on this floor with a few conference rooms, and work areas for people directly under or assisting said executives. There were also some common areas, like a plush employee lounge and kitchen, that could service the people on the floor without them having to leave. Many of the people in the lounge, seen through glass partitions, were openly staring as Sesshomaru and Kagome walked by.

"Haru," Sesshomaru said as a man dressed in a tailored, elegantly dressed designer suit approached them. "Is my father ready yet?"

"He's still on a conference call. I was just getting refreshments put in the room you reserved. Is there anything particular you would like?"

"Not myself, but perhaps Kagome - she does favour coffee." He paused to look at her and introduced Haru to her. "This is my father's PA; though he's hardly utilized as he should be."

"I'm surprised Toga's PA is a man."

"Company policy, at least in regards to _certain_ executives. It's an attempt to avoid unneeded lawsuits."

"Of course," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Haru chuckled a bit. He repeated his question from earlier.

"Do you happen to have any tea? Doesn't matter what kind."

Sesshomaru looked at her oddly, but then nodded to Haru. "Do we have any of the loose-leaf tea left? The canisters that G-Corp sent to us?"

"We do. I'll make sure to get that ready at once. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment, but thank you."

Haru nodded to both Sesshomaru and Kagome before leaving them. The room was just across from them and they moved to enter.

It was quite impressive, though one of their smaller rooms. Already a cart of refreshments was out and four glasses of water set out with a pitcher for refills. Sesshomaru helped Kagome sit down in one of leather, office chairs before sitting down next to her. He put the paperwork down between them. "The lawyer assures me it's pretty standard. Usually I don't trust to sign anything without a thorough go through, but the lawyer we're using is already under the company's employ and this is what we do pay them for."

"Doesn't look like you've let that stop you," Kagome said, noting where he had been turning the pages upside down to keep his place as he read.

"Better safe than sorry."

Kagome smiled. "May I?"

He nodded in approval. Haru came in with a tray that included a tea set. Sesshomaru watched as Haru prepared the tea; Kagome skimmed through the pages of the adoption papers. The room was silent of all but ambient noises.

"Mother fucker," Kagome cursed, startling both Sesshomaru and Haru.

"Kagome?"

"Where's your dad's office?"

"What's going on?"

"His office, Sesshomaru."

"If you'll follow me," Haru cautiously offered.

Kagome immediately stood up and followed him. Sesshomaru following closely behind. "What's wrong, Kagome?" he said, his voice hushed in the common area.

She sent him a glare. "I hope you didn't know about this, Sesshomaru or you're about to see me truly angry."

"Know about what?"

They stepped through a private sitting area much the same Sesshomaru's, but stopped at the large double-doors. Haru stopped them with both hands up and a chagrined look on his face. "If you'll wait here just a moment, I'll see about getting you in to see Mr. Toga quickly."

"Fuck that," Kagome growled. "Such an amoral asshole doesn't get the privilege of manners."

She shoved the paperwork into Sesshomaru's face, then entered the large office without preamble. Sesshomaru heard his father's objections followed by quick apologies that Sesshomaru assumed was meant for the people on his conference call. Looking down at the page Kagome had been reading, he skimmed through it to try and figure out what had set her off.

 **"...** ** _the father, Toga Takashi, does relinquish all rights..."_**

Sesshomaru saw red. His head snapped up and he saw that Kagome was already screaming at him. Sesshomaru got to the desk in record time, the paperwork now blanketing the floor at the entrance of the office. "You son of a bitch," he spat, grabbing Toga's lapels before slamming his fist into his face. Toga grunted from the impact and was saved from flying backwards thanks to Sesshomaru's hold. "Rin's my sister and you weren't going tell me - or Inuyasha?"

Sesshomaru shook Toga several times, trying to hold in his desire to slug him more.

"It would have been better if you hadn't known. I was hoping you'd trust that our lawyer had everything covered."

"Why?"

"I'm too old to be a father."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sesshomaru asked as Kagome snapped at him: "You mean you're too much of a manipulative, selfish ass to be a dad. How dare you do this to Rin!"

"I was only thinking of her," Toga yelled back. He dialed back his tone as Sesshomaru gave a guttural growl. Toga put his hands up and tried to calm his voice a little. "I've already explained why I can't raise her. But you, Kagome, I _know_ you can do it and she'll turn out wonderful because _you're_ wonderful."

"Trying to butter me up isn't helping your case of not being a being a manipulative asshole."

"Or making me any less furious," Sesshomaru added.

"I'm only speaking the truth. Sesshomaru, would you have honestly cared about Rin if Kagome wasn't in your life?"

"She's my sister. I wouldn't have abandoned her."

"Not what I'm asking. Would you have taken her in. Or just set her up with a trust fund and let someone else raise her?"

"Like you were doing before her mom died, I assume?" Kagome accused.

Sesshomaru didn't immediately answer. He eventually let go of his father, letting him stumble backwards. He hated to admit it, but Toga had a point. Most of his role in his brother's life had been hands off. Kagome, and later Shippo, had a pretty startling effect on how he viewed family.

"I'm not excusing what you did. You should have told Inuyasha and I. We deserved to know."

Toga nodded. Falling into his chair. Kagome seemed less appeased. Toga tried to address her but she waved him off. "Don't bother. I'm too angry to talk rationally to you."

The older man seemed to deflate.

"And don't you dare think I'm going to let you have Rin after this either. Get your damn lawyer now. We're signing those papers and getting this whole mess behind us."

She turned to look at Sesshomaru, opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind. "I'll see you back at the conference room," she eventually said and quickly removed herself from the office.

Sesshomaru watched her. She was walking in a tight, tense posture and a quickened pace that was typical of when she was angry.

"Sesshomaru," Toga said as soon as Kagome was through the doors.

"Yes?"

"You have my blessing to marry her."

"I never needed your blessing. I love her."

"All the same, you have it. And I see why you do."

* * *

"You need to tell him."

"I'm aware. I-I," Sesshomaru paused. They were sitting in his office. All the paperwork was signed and stamped. Rin was officially theirs and Sesshomaru felt _nervous_ as he had never been before. "Should I tell Rin?"

"I don't know know that answer. I mean, yes - definitely, but is the timing right, I don't know."

They sat in silence again. Sesshomaru had originally planned to celebrate after they had signed the papers with some office sex. It wasn't honestly anything he had done, and thought he might be able to talk Kagome into it. Nothing like that even was remotely on his mind now.

"Can I call your mom?"

"She gave you her number so you could call her."

"Yes, but she is your mom."

"Discuss what you want with her. She's pretty chill."

"Have you told her we've moved in together?"

"Of course. Though everyone agreed not to tell grandpa."

Sesshomaru chuckled. The warning was clear. Not that the old man really wanted to talk to him anyway nor was he going to give him more reason to hate him.

"You want me to give you some privacy? I can go make myself a menace to your father more."

"As funny as that might be, please don't. I think you've made him fall for you. I hate to have more competition, especially from within my family now that Inuyasha is in a relationship."

Kagome rolled her eyes standing up and walking over towards him. She bent down from the waist so they were at eye level. "You never had competition for me, idiot. It just took you forever to figure that out."

She kissed him then, brief but hard, before pulling back and stretching her back with a cringe. "You think I can get more of that tea?"

Sesshomaru stood up, his body coming flush with her. He gave her a smug smile before moving to his desk. He logged into his computer and pulled up slack once more, messaging his PA. Moments later an elegant woman walked in looking like she owned the place.

"Kagome, meet Kagura. The woman who actually runs this place. She's my PA and will help you with anything."

Kagura looked over Kagome once. "I'm pleased to finally meet you."

"Thank you."

"Kagura, Haru made some tea for Kagome earlier. Can you take her to the break area and get her some more?"

"Of course. Is that all?"

"For now, yes."

Kagura looked a little miffed, but motioned for Kagome to follow. Sesshomaru picked up his cell phone and, as soon as the door was closed, pulled up Rumiko's contact info. She picked up after a few rings.

"Sesshomaru? Is everything okay?" she answered, her voice slightly panicked.

"Everyone is fine," he assured her. "I'm in need of some advice and Kagome and I agreed you would be the best to ask."

There was an audible sigh. She took a few moments, Sesshomaru assumed to collect herself, before she spoke again. "I'm honored that you thought of me. I'll do my best to help."

Sesshomaru took a deep breath and began explaining the startling revelation they had learned earlier. Rumiko listened quietly until he was finished.

"I don't think I like your father very much."

"I'm feeling the same, though his reasons aren't completely wrong. He is a horrible dad. And I can't imagine his girlfriends would have been nice to Rin if he had chosen to raise her."

"So what are you worried about exactly?"

"I'm obviously going to tell my brother, but when is the best time to tell Rin?"

"Does she know your father is hers?"

"I haven't a clue."

"That would probably be the best place to start. I think Inuyasha is going to be the biggest problem. He doesn't appear to like rapid, unexpected change."

"Family trait, I'm afraid."

"You might want to get use to it. Kids are nothing if not rapid and unexpected."

Sesshomaru chuckled at that.

"Is that all your worries in regards to Rin?"

"I think so, yes."

"Good. Then we can talk about how you're proposing to my daughter. I can't keep all this news from my father-in-law forever. Some if it pretty time sensitive."

"About that, I actually had a different idea completely-"

* * *

Kagura's pace was defined by her long legs. Kagome had a hard time keeping up. Haru met them in a plush lounge, tea already steeping.

"Would you like to take a seat?" Kagura asked, motioning to a small cluster of leather armchairs.

Kagome took a seat, Haru serving her a cup of tea. Kagura brought over two mugs of coffee, giving one to Haru. They both sat.

"You've definitely given us the gossip for the building for a few weeks," Haru commented.

Kagome blushed but didn't apologize. She stood strongly by her 'Toga is an ass' stance.

"It's a wonderful thing you're doing," Haru continued.

"I'm assuming you two will get married soon?" Kagura asked.

"Oh, well - that's complicated."

"Are you not into marriage? We all know the Takashi family isn't really pro-marriage, but well, with how Sesshomaru has been lately, we all just assumed..."

"Well," she began. "He actually told his mom he was going to propose, and she told me, and then she told him that she told me. And we've just been top-toeing around the subject."

Kagura shook her head. "I like Dr. Sato. Though none of that surprises me." She took a few sips of coffee before putting it down on a table in front of the chairs. "Listen, my contract with Sesshomaru allows my services to be contained to business hours only, his not the company's, and business trips. It works well. But, I'll make exceptions from time to time."

She reached into her suit jacket and pulled out a small case. From within the case, she pulled out her business card and gave it to Kagome. "I use to do event planning and still have some contacts within the industry. I'll be glad to point you in the right direction when it comes time to plan the wedding."

"Thank you," Kagome said, tucking the card into the pocket of her sweater. "Why did you change careers?"

"I wanted more stable hours."

Haru snorted; his hours were anything but stable. Kagura rolled her eyes. "I wasn't with Sesshomaru when I first joined here. The hours were better even if the pay was only passable. Plus, the company offers affordable, in-house childcare."

"You have a child?"

"A daughter," Kagura smiled. She reached for her phone. The lock screen photo was Kagura, casually dressed, with her arms around a girl close to Rin's age. Her complexion and hair all Kagura's opposite. "Kanna. She's my life. And I'll warn you all of the rumours are absolutely false."

"Rumours?"

"Everyone thinks that Kanna is the result of an affair between Kagura and one of the Takashi men. Though no one can firmly decide who," Haru answered, winking at both of them over his mug.

"It's not true," Kagura assured Kagome again. "It's a rumour based off of how little she looks like me and how quickly I climbed the corporate ladder here. I'd never even met a Takashi until after she was born."

"I never really understood how people have so much time to gossip at work. I always seemed to be swamped," Kagome commented. "Kanna looks lovely. I can see how much you mean to each other."

Kagura glowed. "She is a very special little girl."

Looking back at Kagome, a sly smile crept on her face. "You know, no one actually drinks this tea. We could send it home with you. It's really good for settling the stomach and stress release."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind that. My grandpa is sending me some, he likes to pretend to be a tea expert, but it'll probably take a bit to get here."

"Of course. We received it with a bunch of other stuff. G-Corp likes to specialize in 'medicinal brands,' which guarantees most people here won't touch it."

"I wouldn't say that," Haru said. "The kombucha they sent went pretty quickly."

"That's because Steve on three took them all home. The tea has been here long enough that I'm positive no one is going to drink it."

"Agreed. The old creeper only drinks his own blend when he bothers to grace us with his presence. Let me get all the others in a bag for you."

"The old creeper?" Kagome asked.

"Totosai. One of Toga's original partners. He's fine enough - better than Toga at toeing the line of sexual harassment - but definitely likes to let his stares linger a bit longer than they should," Kagura explained. "We're all just waiting for him to retire."

"By 'we' she means 'her.' Kagura basically already does most of his work for him because most of it falls to Sesshomaru to do when Totosai doesn't show up. It's pretty accepted knowledge now that Kagura will be offered the position once Totosai retires."

"Is that a normal career transition?"

"Oh, not at all. I just already know his job, do a lot of it, and would require minimum training. The rest of the board trusts my decisions. Plus, we only have one woman on the board right now and she is pushing for more. I'm more than qualified."

"Like I said, she's waiting for it. I'm dreading it," Haru said with a flourish. "Who will I people watch with without you?"

Kagura rolled her eyes. Her phone chirped and she looked down to see a message from Sesshomaru. "Looks like he's done with whatever he needed you out of the office for."

"He was calling my mom. She gives the best advice."

"Uh-huh. Interesting. Well, I'm to deliver you to the elevators near his office."

"I'll get the tea," Haru said, jumping up and nearly spilling his coffee.

Kagome hurried up to finish the cooling tea in her cup. Kagura once again studied her in the silence. "Listen, Kagome, you seem like a really nice woman. I can't imagine dating a Takashi is easy. Sesshomaru seemed to be a decent sort personally, but can definitely be a hardass sometimes. And I _know_ raising a kid isn't easy. You're welcome to call or text if you ever need to talk."

"Maybe we can arrange a playdate between Rin and Kanna?"

Kagura's smile was strained. "To be honest, Kanna is on the autism spectrum. Most people avoid her - both adults and kids. There isn't anything wrong with her," Kagura assured her. "She's just a bit different."

Kagome's heart constricted for a bit. "I'd still like to schedule a playdate. Rin is still pretty withdrawn. It might be good for both girls to be around each other."

Haru returned with a bag filled with tea. The women stood up as Haru left them and Kagura began walking them slowly back towards the elevators.

"And thanks for the offer to talk. I'll probably take you up on that. I'm about to start school again, on top of working full-time, and taking care of two kids. I think I may need some advice on how to juggle it all from someone who obviously has found a good balance."

Kagura gave a sardonic grin. "Hardly, though I appreciate the compliment. Fake it 'til you make it has been my lifelong motto."

They shared a laugh with each other. Kagura gave Kagome a side-eye as they turned a corner. "You said _two_ kids?"

"Yeah. Two. Long story."

* * *

"She's fucking what?" Inuyasha growled.

"Our sister."

"That disgusting old man. I'll beat the shit out of him."

"There is no need. He has no control over her life anymore."

Inuyasha leaned back against the counter that separated his kitchen from the dining room. "At least tell me you hit him."

"I did. Kagome chewed him out with language I can really only attribute to your influence."

"Good. Kagome can be scary when she's angry. I hope he pissed himself."

Sesshomaru snorted. He was sitting at the new dining room table. Inuyasha and Kouga's business files were spread out over it. Kagome was currently playing in their backyard with the kids.

"Where's Kouga?"

"Out with some of his cousins."

"Are they speaking to him again?"

"Ginta and Hakkaku never stopped. Their doofuses, but good guys. We've already discussed hiring them on at the gym."

"How goes that front?"

Inuyasha beamed. "Loans approved. Plus a few key investments. All meaning we've leased the buildings and started construction. Kouga and I are actually going to an industry convention next month to network and narrow down the equipment."

"Where's it at?"

"Vegas. It's a week long event but we'll see how long we actually stay."

"I would stay the entire week. Even if you don't attend the convention the entire time. You and Kouga don't get much time by yourselves."

Inuyasha shrugged, looking away to try and hide his blush. "We get plenty. We live together, work together, and it's not like we're over at your house that often."

"You know a relationship is more than just time in bed."

"Shut up. I know. Didn't you just come over here to talk about Rin and not give me relationship advice now that you're all happy and shit."

"Actually. While we're on the subject."

Inuyasha groaned and pushed away from the counter. "I need a beer, you want one?"

"Sure."

"Count me in," Kouga shouted from the foyer.

He came in with a smile and a plastic container. "My mom sends cookies."

"Cookies? You think they're poisoned?"

Sesshomaru groaned this time. Kouga just rolled his eyes, his smile not wavering. "Peace offering, I think. Not from my dad, but Ginta said my mom is coming around. I told them to tell her she was welcome to stop by whenever. Hope that's okay."

"Why wouldn't it be? This is your place too. Ad my family comes over all the time."

"Technically I own this place," Sesshomaru pointed out.

"Whatever," Inuyasha said, handing them the chilled bottles of beer.

Kouga put the cookies on the counter, reaching over Inuyasha as he did so, which the other took as an opportunity to steal a kiss. Sesshomaru respectfully averted his eyes.

"So what's with all the brotherly bonding?" Kouga asked as he pulled away.

"Kagome and I discovered Rin is Inuyasha and I's sister."

"What the fuck?"

"Exactly."

"Are we telling her?" Inuyasha asked, the thought just occurring to him.

"The question is more of when. Rumiko suggested waiting until the best time, but even she was vague on when that might be."

"Play it by ear," Kouga suggested.

"Thanks for that sound advice," Inuyasha replied sarcastically.

Kouga just shrugged. "It's really the only advice available. Not like there's a book on how to explain to your adopted daughter that she's really your sister because your dad is a fucking idiot."

"Do we know who Rin's mom actually is? Dad's usually beyond careful with his 'no kids' rule."

"I don't think it was his girlfriend. The woman he was dating when Rin was born is a model and she's not only still alive, she's also never had a child."

"Huh. Even weirder."

"Agreed. We should be getting more of Rin's personal effects soon. I'll let you know what I find out."

"Good."

They hit a lull in their conversation again. Kouga eventually sat down next to Sesshomaru at the dining room table. "So what were you saying before I interrupted?" he asked.

Sesshomaru took a moment to think back. "Oh. I need your schedule. I'm going to take Kagome on a vacation once the school year ends."

"Do daycares have school years?"

"They aren't a daycare. Day school., preschool, whatever you call it. And yes - they adhere to the city school schedule. However, Kagome is starting summer classes. So we have short window to do anything."

"Are you taking your whole family?"

"Yes, plus I have an idea. Rumiko has agreed to it. I just need to get everyone on board."

"I'm assuming this is some elaborate plan to propose."

Sesshomaru smiled as he lifted his beer to his lips.

"Where are you taking her?"

"I'm thinking grandfather's retirement home."

Inuyasha snorted. Kouga looked between the two, waiting to be filled in. "It's an island," Inuyasha said. "He bought himself an island when he retired and built what could easily be a resort on it. It's beautiful. Just overly opulent and ridiculous."

"I feel like that's half of your family's motto."

Inuyasha met Sesshomaru eyes. "I took Kogua to a family dinner."

"Didn't want to suffer it alone?"

"Absolutely not. Dad still had your place set though."

"What did he say about Kouga being there?"

"We mostly talked business. Dad has always been too observant though. I'm sure he realized something, just chose not to say anything."

There was banging on the back door. Shippo's face was smashed up against the glass. The men at the table laughed, Kouga getting up to let Shippo in. "Hey kid," he greeted.

"Hey Kouga," Shippo replied, giving him a quick hug around his legs.

He repeated a similar greeting and hug to Inuyasha as he approached the table. "There was an accident," he told Sesshomaru.

"What kind?" he asked, immediately at attention.

"Rin kicked Kagome when she on the swing set. Rin's upset."

"Where did Kagome get kicked?"

Shippo slapped his hands on his chest. The men winced. "Let me go check on them," Sesshomaru sighed.

"Can I stay?"

"Let's let Inuyasha and Kouga have some time with each other."

Shippo groaned. "But they _always_ have time together; they _live_ together."

Sesshomaru put his hand on Shippo's head and guided him towards the back door. He ignored Shippo's whining.

"I'll send you the vacation dates and details. Let me know if it works for you, okay?"

"Will do," Inuyasha called back.

* * *

Kagome was sitting on the couch trying to comfort Rin. The little girl was sitting on her lap: Kagome's armed wrapped around her and face buried in her hair. She looked up as Sesshomaru and Shippo entered the back door. "Shippo," Kagome called. "Will you get Jaken. He's still by the swings."

"Yes ma'am" he said and ran out to grab the stuffed toad.

"Everyone okay?" Sesshomaru asked, sitting down next to Kagome and Rin.

Rin wasn't crying, but was sniveling as if she had just stopped. Sesshomaru reached out to rub her back.

"We're all fine. Accidents happen."

"They most certainly do. Once, when I was younger, I almost broke Inuyasha's nose - _accidentally_."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that was an 'accident."

Sesshomaru just grinned. "100%."

Shippo came back in with Jaken then climbed up on the couch with them. "What's a vacation," he asked, handing the toy back to Rin.

"Vacation?" Kagome asked.

"I was talking about it with Inuyasha and Kouga. I'm hoping to whisk away our little family for a vacation between the end of spring semester and the beginning of summer classes."

"We have to get it cleared to take Shippo."

"Already reached out to Yasu about getting that taken care of. There are a lot of people who have to approve it, but the process has already been started and he didn't think it would be a problem. Mostly, they just need details and contact information."

Kagome smiled. "Why am I not surprised? Of course you'd already be on it. Did you have an idea of where?"

"Yes, actually."

"And...?"

"Beach. A quiet, tropical resort that should be fun for the kids and for us."

"You're not telling me something, aren't you?"

"It may be owned by my family."

He tried to look sheepish, but failed. Kagome happily rolled her eyes. "Well just tell me the dates and I'll make sure everyone is ready to go."


End file.
